Rush To Judge
by TappinCastlefan
Summary: Murder can bring people together in the strangest of ways.  Finally, the sequel to "Fast Track To Us" and "A Murder In Haste".
1. Chapter 1

The New York air was crisp and sharp. Nearly biting the woman as she marched down the sidewalk. Faint traces of snow flurries danced around her head. Mocking her.

She had opted to walk tonight. She needed to clear her head, get him off her mind. She almost felt sorry for the leaves breaking beneath her step.

Almost.

Her husband was out of town. He had taken their son to a hockey game in Jersey. She still wasn't sure why, but, hey, she thought, boys will be boys. And with the two of them gone she didn't know what else to do. She didn't want to go home to be alone. That would only allow her mind to conjure up more crazy theories.

It was late, so she couldn't go bother any of her friends. They all had families to attend to. The smartest thing for her to do, she thought, was to head into the office to get some work done. She knew that there were a few files on her desk that needed tending, and she had some new research results that she wanted to study.

Then there were the animals. How Jeanine loved the animals. As she neared the building she ran a list in her head of who was staying the night.

Thinking, she recalled that there were nine dogs, 4 cats, an iguana, a snake, a pot-bellied pig, and a monkey. Of course, this was assuming that no one else checked their beloved pet in for the night.

Yes, she reaffirmed her plan to herself, she would go in, do a little work, and care for those who couldn't care for themselves. She didn't think the nurse on duty would mind a night off either.

She slipped her key into the lock and rushed in, out of the bitter cold. Jeanine nearly missed the young girl sitting at the desk.

"Dr. Michaels! What are you doing here?" The nurse practically jumped from her chair, a shiny copy of _The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo_ falling to the floor in a slump of paper and ink.

"Oh! Beth. Yes, I, uh…my husband and son are out of town, so I thought I'd come in for the night. Let you head home." Her voice was rushed, unsteady. Jeanine could feel the stabbing at the back of her throat, and fought to swallow it back.

The nurse, still shaken by her boss' sudden arrival bent to pick up her novel while she spoke. "That's too bad. I know how much you love Jake. You must miss him."

"Yea," the older woman spoke, running a hand through her long brown locks, "I do. You don't mind do you? I mean, you're welcome to stay if you want, but I can handle everything on my own."

"That depends," she cracked a smile, "do I still get paid?"

Jeanine allowed herself the comfort of a giggle. "Of course you do. Really, you deserve a night off, and I haven't gotten to work the kennel in a while. Go on home."

"Only if you're absolutely sure."

Jeanine walked over and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Beth, I am absolutely, positively sure. Trust me. Now, I know you have an adorable fiancé at home, who I'm sure would love to see you tonight. Go!"

"Alright, alright! But I'll be back first thin in the morning," the girl called over her shoulder.

Jeanine smiled as she watched one of her best nurses walk out the front door. As soon as she had rounded the corner, the doctor let out one of the heaviest sighs she had ever held in, and turned to her office.

She dropped her purse down on the floor, and peeled off her coat and scarf, tossing them on a chair on the opposite side of the large wooden desk that occupied her small office. She slowly walked along the wall, letting her hand linger on the frames of her degrees, before dropping herself into her own chair.

Scrubbing her hands over her face, she found that her mind was not at all clear. And when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the eyes of a little boy. Five years old in the t-ball picture that graced her desktop.

"Shit."

What was she going to do? What could she? There seemed to be no decent answer to any of the thousands of questions running through her mind. She had asked them all multiple times on her walk, and each time came up with more of nothing than before.

If that even made any sense.

She let her head fall back to rest on the chair and closed her eyes. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could get any work done tonight. It was just at the moment when she was starting to relax that she heard it.

A faint clash of metal, followed by the muffled barking of the dogs in the kennel.

Slowly, she rose from her seat and walked out into the hallway. The dogs could still be heard, though all else was silent. Her stiletto heels clicked against the newly cleaned tile floors as she stepped through a pair of double doors, and started past the four exam rooms.

The door to the fourth was open.

She was tempted to go in, but the barking of the dogs pulled her further back into the office.

A concerned voice escaped her lips. "Hello," she called. "Is anyone there?"

Finally she came to the final set of doors before the kennel. Through the thin windows she could see that the lights were off, save for the children's night light that they left on for the animals.

Jeanine was never one to fully believe in those horror stories that she heard on the news, but her husband was. He was always the one telling her that it was a big city and anything could happen. She always countered by telling him that it was a big city and the odds were ridiculously low.

It was now, in the seconds that it took for her hand to touch the metal plating on the door, that she was starting to believe those news reports.

Shakily, she pushed the door open, and stepped into the kennel-turned-jungle. The barking reduced to a combination of whimpers, as the animals recognized her as a friend.

On the floor, even in the dim lighting, Jeanine could see that the floor was wet from traces of the frozen precipitation outside. Looking up, she saw only a dark figure, and the glint of light bouncing off of the metal in its grip.

The last thing Jeanine Michaels saw was the image of her little boy, Jacob, six years old and excited for his first big hockey game, the sound of ferocious barking throbbing in her ears.

* * *

_FINALLY! This is the sequel to "Fast Track To Us" and "A Murder In Haste" that I had promised. I am so sorry that it took me so long to get going on it, but good news! I've got the entire story planned out, it's only a matter of writing it. Pretty impressed, eh? I'm impressed with myself. I'm really excited about working on it!_

Now, I know this chapter probably isn't what you were expecting, but I have my reasons. This is quite possibly the darkest scene I've ever written, and I wanted it and the victim's story to stand for itself before we bring in our favorite crime-solving team. It was interesting writing this, I hope you enjoyed it! I promise, those characters we know and love will be making their enterance in the next chapter.

_Disclaimer: Here's my claim that I don't own Castle. :(_

_Let me know what you think? Good opening? Bad opening? Whatever you feel, and I'll try and update as soon as I can._

_Love,  
__Tappin _


	2. Chapter 2

Kate Beckett basked in the soft stream of sunlight that bled through the window. It was this time of the morning that she loved. It wasn't terribly early, not like when she usually woke for work, but it wasn't late either. Just around now, the city was just beginning to get down to business.

Even though she knew it was chilly out, being February in New York, Kate could feel the warm touch of the morning sun on her bare shoulder. She opened her eyes open, the clock staring back at her. 9:03. She loved mornings when the alarm didn't go off and she could wake up at her own free will.

Carefully, trying not to stir too much, she rolled over, a smile on her face when she got a look at the sight lying behind her. There he was, Rick Castle, flat on his back, bare-chested, one arm leaning above him on the headboard, the other reaching lazily out in her direction. His hair was strewn in all directions, but she had to admit, the bed head was adorable. Kate propped herself up on her elbow and watched, her own loose waves tumbling over her back.

He would question, on occasion, what he had done to deserve her, but what he didn't know was that she often found herself asking that of herself. Here he was, her writer, her confidant, her lover, her best friend, asking nothing of her but to love and be loved. He knew she had wounds and he didn't care. Knew about her fears and didn't care.

He knew everything about her, and all he did was care.

Somehow, she had managed to feel the same way about him. And it took every fiber of her being to not to panic over that.

In silence she watched him sleep, and admired the view of the city outside the bay window on the other side of the room. Sure enough, the sounds of the traffic were beginning to hum. The view in his bedroom was spectacular. Anytime she wanted Kate could keep an eye on her favorite city and her favorite writer.

Something akin to a hiccup escaped his mouth, startling him awake. Kate, however, was far too lost in her own thoughts to notice.

"Detective Beckett, I do believe you are a hypocrite."

"Hmm." Her eyes opened wide as she startled to look at him.

"You were watching me sleep weren't you?" He looked up at her, not moving from his position.

"No," she shrugged, "I just woke up and I was admiring the view of the city. Your sleeping self just happened to be in the way."

"Sure…" He sang the taunt out, just knowing that it would irritate her. It was almost unfair that he thought she was even more stunning when she was angry as when she wasn't.

He lifted himself up to lean against the headboard, folding his arms across his chest. Not once did their gaze on each other break.

"You know what, you're just full of yourself."

"Ah, but you love me anyway." Rick flashed her a grin, knowing full well that that would bug her too. "Besides, I don't need for you to admit it, it's written all over your face."

It was too gorgeous a morning for Kate to let herself get frustrated. Instead, she brushed him off with a roll of her eyes as she sat up beside him. Rick, however, had other plans, and pulled her in close. She simply allowed him to take charge, and draped her legs atop his, her head leaned into his shoulder.

"Morning," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "sleep well?"

She turned to kiss a spot on his chest, nodding her head 'yes'. "I love when I can sleep a full night without being woken up by murder." She reached across and wrapped her arm around his middle. "I had a good time last night."

Now that he had her completely in his grasp, Rick could really enjoy the morning. He loved having her over, and hated when she left. Sure, it wasn't like she was ever gone for very long. She rarely stayed the entire night at her own apartment anymore. There had even been nights, in the middle of particularly grueling cases, where she would knock on his door in the wee hours of the morning, just needing someone to hold.

"It was fun wasn't it?" They laughed together, recalling their escapades the night before. They, as well as Alexis, had the brilliant idea of surprising Martha by attending her latest show. They spent the entire afternoon plotting. They were going to sit in the back of the theatre, and as soon as the show was over they were going to whisk their diva off to a fabulous dinner at her favorite resturant.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans for the trio.

The cab they had taken to the theatre had broken down halfway there, leaving them to walk. Now, that wouldn't have been so bad had the sky not decided to open up and dump buckets of rain on them. They ended up ducking into a small diner on a street corner that they had never hear of, to avoid the rain, and ultimately spent the evening enjoying some of the best food they had ever eaten.

They never made it to the show.

By the time they got back to the apartment they looked like three drowned rats in ruined evening wear. Each peeled off their wet clothes, changing into their favorite combination of pajamas (not complete without the fuzzy socks), and hunkered down in the living room for movies.

"I never thought that I could have so much fun running around New York City in a torrential downpour." Kate spoke softly as she traced nonsense patterns on his upper arm.

"Well you've never run around New York in a torrential downpour with the Castles before."

She let out a laugh, lifted her head to look at him. "You are correct there Mr. Castle." Her eyes beckoned him to dip his head down, meeting her halfway for a proper wake up call.

"I think…" he started when their lips separated, "I think you should move in here."

"Really now?" She had settled herself back down in his arms. Her eyes were focused intently on a knot in the wood floor. "Why's that?"

"Well," he sighed and squeezed her a little closer, just a sign that he wasn't playing around, "you hardly ever stay at your own apartment anymore. Imagine the dust the poor place is collecting while you're gallavanting around town with us? It deserves a tenant who can give it proper attention. And that tenant certainly isn't you, because Alexis and I need you far too much. And we're too greedy even consider sharing you with your apartment again. Not now, after we've grown so attached."

Again she looked up at him. Only this time, she sat upright, pulling the sheet around her body.

"You're serious?" Rick nodded his head so fast Kate thought his head would pop off. His eyes were wide, excitement and anticipation beaming from them, but it was his mouth that showed how nervous he was. It was pulled into a thin smile, lips pursed together. Kate had rarely seen Castle nervous.

"I'm dead serious. You spend most of your time here already, do you even remember what your bed feels like?" He could see the sign of distress on her face. This probably wasn't the best time to be making jokes. Rick maneuvered himself so that he was facing her, and pulled her hands into his. "Kate, I'm not going to lie to you, I love having you here, being able to wake up every morning with you in my arms. You make our home a better place, and I want you to feel like this is your home too."

"Rick you know I love being here with you and Alexis-"

"Then stay." Their eyes met. His a brilliant blue, hers a striking green. Perfectly complementary.

"Keep having breakfast with us every morning and dinner every night. Keep watching movies with us. And keep kicking my butt in laser tag." A smile was beginning to creep its way onto her face, so he kept going. "There is no one else in the world that I want to share my world with. I love you so much Kate, and so does Alexis. I don't know what we would do if you left and didn't come back."

Kate saw the fear in his eyes, a voice inside of her screaming at her to say something. But she just couldn't find the right words. In an instant she knew what to do. She reached out, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, and pulled him towards her. Their mouths crashed together with more fire than either could possibly imagine. The two spent countless seconds softly tasting each other. Just savoring being together.

They separated when the need for air grew too powerful. Neither wanted to let go, and settled for pressing their foreheads together. Kate found herself back in his arms. How, she had no idea. But she wasn't going to argue.

"Is that a yes?" Rick's voice was tentative, though a string of confidence was apparent.

Kate dragged a hand over his face, resting when she reached his jaw. "It's a yes." Rick flipped them over so that he had his love pinned to the sheets. Her hands explored his back and neck, his left holding him above her, right caressing her cheek. There was nothing fearful in his actions now, as he held her close. He finally had her exactly where he wanted her, and he didn't want to let her go. He had pressed his face to her neck, placing kisses along her collarbone and jaw.

"Rick," she managed between sighs of happiness, "we really should move. I'm starving."

He moaned against her neck. "Me too. I think I could stay here all day."

Firmly she pushed him over by the shoulders. A look of shock flashed across his features. "Not that I don't enjoy this little party we've got going on, but I really am hungry." She just had to roll her eyes at him again when he smirked. "For food. Maybe some breakfast?"

Rick took her hand again, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. "Whatever you want. Shall we go out? Or should I make you some of my famous pancakes?"

"Famous huh?" An eyebrow raised, teasing him. "Lovely as that sounds, I'm thinking, we haven't been to Junior's in a while. Why don't we go there?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll pick up a black and white for Alexis while we're there." Both moved from the warmth of the bed to get dressed.

"You don't think she'll want to come with us?"

"Nope. She left early this morning to leave with Paige, remember? Ski week?"

Kate nodded, remembering that the girl had been offered a trip to Colorado with her friend's family for the week.

It only took the couple fifteen minutes before they were at the front door, pulling on coats and scarves.

"Ready?" Rick clapped his hands together, the sound muffled by his leather gloves. He reached for the door, just as Kate was adjusting her scarf.

"Yup! Let's-"

The irritating sound of her cell phone ringing echoed through the apartment. With a huff she practically ripped the phone from her pocket.

"Beckett…seriously?" She started to rub two fingers in circles on her temple. "Where?" Her foot tapped against the floor as she listened. "I'll be there in twenty." There was an obviously frustrated tone in her voice as she attempted to close the conversation. Behind her she could hear Rick moving towards his office. "No, Esposito, it's fine. I'll be right there.

She slid her phone shut and turned around, just in time to face Rick holding out her gun and harness for her.

"Thought you might need this." Since she had started staying over regularly the writer had a safe put in his office, in the short bookcase behind his desk, specifically for this purpose. Previously she had kept her weapon on the top of his refrigerator.

"Thanks," she sighed as she took them from him, fastening the holster around her waist, "I'm sorry about this. I'm supposed to have the day off, but apparently the boys thought I'd want in on this one."

Her partner reached around her to pull open the door. "Nonsense. You know I don't care what we're doing as long as I get to be with you." He dropped a quiet kiss to her forhead when she stepped beside him in the doorway. "The only downside is that we have to settle for breakfast-on-the-go."

"There's that," she stepped past him and into the hallway, "and, you know, the fact that someone's dead." She shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she walked towards the elevator.

Rick admired her saunter from his place outside what was now _their_ door. "How could I forget?" Quickly he caught up with her in the elevator, his gloved hand finding hers as the doors shut.

* * *

_Yay! Chapter 2! And Castle/Beckett goodness! It's a little later than I intended, but I guess it could be worse, right? Next chapter should be up in a couple of days. I'm going home for Thanksgiving so I'll hopefully get some writing in during the lovely 5 hour car ride._

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Drop me a line, and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you amazing readers!_

_3 Tappin._


	3. Chapter 3

By the time they reached the scene the city had kicked in to high gear. Traffic getting to the office was hell, Beckett being forced to abuse her vehicle to get there in a relatively timely fashion. She hated when she had to do that.

Sliding her car into an open space three blocks away she sighed, and longed to be back in that nice, warm bed - _their _nice, warm bed. Moving in with Richard Castle? Not exactly what she had imagined for herself five years ago. Hell, one year ago.

The cold air rushed at them as they stepped out of the car, nipping and clawing at their ears and nose. And it had started out as such a lovely morning too. Apparently, it was going to be one of those days.

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate driving in New York?" Castle trudged along the icy sidewalk beside her, hands buried in the pockets of his charcoal wool coat. "No. I want to revise that. Did I ever tell you how much I hate _parking_ in New York?"

"Really, Castle? That's what you're going with?" Kate kept her eyes straight ahead, looking out for the office Esposito directed her to, but her lips were turned up, grinning ever so teasingly. "I always thought you were just a crappy driver."

"Well, if you would ever let me drive I could prove you wrong. I will humbly save myself from future humiliation, however, by admitting that my parking skills leave something to be desired."

"Sure, Castle," Kate droned, "whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Oh now Detective, I'm sure you know exactly what helps me in that area of concern." The smart remark garnered him an eye roll as they came up to the office.

The front of the building was roped off with crime scene tape. From the front, the place came off as a small storefront office, with the name 'Pets of Manhattan' painted across the window. Through the window they could see uniforms running the standard search, but no detectives or medical examiner.

"Where's the body?" Castle rubbed his palms together as they stepped into the warmer air.

"Esposito said they found her in the back, in a kennel." Kate, now fully sporting her Beckett persona, eyed the working officers as they walked through the office.

"In a kennel?"

"Yea, vic's the veterinarian here. Owns the place." With a gloved hand she pushed open doors as they passed, finding examining rooms and a small storage closet filled with medications, sterilization equipment, and various other tools for veterinary medicine. "But that's all I know. Lanie should have more for us to go by."

Anticipating their arrival Detective Kevin Ryan propped open one of the swinging doors just as they stepped up to it. The sound of quiet barking and whimpering barreled over the threshold and into the rest of the office.

"Ryan," Beckett inquired, "why are the dogs still here? Can't we have them moved?"

The detective looked out, fresh-faced and ready to work. "Oh you'll see why. Careful getting in here." He moved as far away as he could while still holding the door open for the two. With a curious look on her face, Beckett followed his trail, Castle right behind her.

And he was completely correct. The instant her boot crossed from the carpeted hallway to the tiled kennel, Detective Kate Beckett could see why they couldn't move the animals.

The room itself was actually fairly small. Dimensionally, at most, it had to be ten feet long, and, if they were being generous in guesstimating, six feet wide, with cages taking up most of the space.

The floor, which she assumed was grey speckled linoleum, was blanked in a layer of glossy, red blood. The amount was indescribable, but it was obvious that the coating was so thick that it had not yet completely dried; a sticky sheen of the liquid was evident to anyone with eyes.

Slumped between one of the swinging doors and the walls was their victim. Long tresses of brown waves, streaked with honey, framed her face. It was a pretty one, Kate noticed. A slim nose, thin, pink lips. Her big eyes, still open, were the color of coffee. Her skin, however, was incredibly pale. A sickly, pasty, white, with a faint green tinge.

It was from the combination of stress and blood loss. Death as a whole, really. The detectives knew it.

Castle leaned in as far as he could. His eyes widened in shock. "Ho-ly…"

"Yea," Ryan finished, "that's what I thought you'd say."

Beckett tiptoed around the puddle of blood to come around to her head. Her best friend, and medical examiner, Dr. Lanie Parish was standing over the body. She squatted down beside her, not touching, simply observing. This was what she did. She took in everything about the victim without disturbing them. She wanted to get the full effect of their final moments before she threw herself into their lives.

"What can you tell me Lanie?"

"Our victim here is Dr. Jeanine Michaels. One of her nurses came in this morning and found her like this."

"Well isn't that a lovely way to start your morning?" Castle exclaimed from his stance in the doorway. "Not exactly the sight you want to see after you have breakfast."

Lanie nodded in her head in his direction. "Most certainly not." She kneeled back down beside Beckett. "Judging from temperature and lividity, I'd say she died at around ten o'clock last night."

Kate continued to study Jeanine's face as she listened to the details of her death, nodding as she took it all in.

"Lanie," Castle was still rather intrigued, and questioned from the door, "that's almost twelve hours ago, how is this still…" he swallowed a lump, "…wet?"

The medical examiner sighed as she turned to answer his question. "Castle, a person's body can hold approximately six quarts of blood. And if injured in just the right way, in an area of, how should I say this? High blood traffic? There's no telling how long it'll take for a person to bleed out. She's been here for hours essentially leaking."

Castle nodded his intrigue, seemingly satisfied with her explanation.

"She has perimortem bruising along her forearms, which says, to me-"

"She tried to fight back." Beckett concluded. The two women rose from the floor to let the detective examine the rest of the scene.

"Exactly." Lanie continued. "See that scalpel lying over here?" She pointed with her toe to a piece of metal, nearly drowning in the pool of blood. "I'd say this is what did her in, but I need to get her back to the lab."

"Alright. Let me know as soon as you're certain." She stepped as far out of the way as she could when Lanie signaled to a pair of men waiting to bag the body for transportation and stepped out of the tiny kennel. "Ryan, let's see if we can arrange a way to get these dogs out of here, maybe get one of the staff to contact their owners, or find another kennel that's willing to take them as long as they're needed."

"You got it." The detective nodded and went in search of help.

"Oh," she called after him, "where's Esposito?"

"With the nurse who found the body. She's pretty shaken up."

She simply nodded and let him get on his way.

"Come on Castle," she stepped over, gently pushing him by the arm, "let's go talk to her." When he didn't move more than a couple inches she noticed his eyes still on the pool of blood.

"Rick?" She started rubbing his arm, just enough to catch his attention. "You okay?" His eyes met hers and she say they were glassy.

"It's just...I write about it, but I didn't know a person could really bleed so much."

"I know. It's tough. But we're going to find the guy who did this to her. You know we will." Rick wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Yea," he sighed, "I know." She put her arm around his waist, and led him out to find their nurse. But they stopped short when the saw the scene taking place by the door to the office.

There, they saw, were Lanie and Esposito, looking awfully friendly. Lanie was leaning against the front wall of the office, a shy smile on her face, while Esposito had one hand on the wall behind her, and he had his head dipped to her ear.

Castle and Beckett went unnoticed when Lanie let out a giggle before making her exit, her hand lingering just a tad longer than necessary on his shoulder. The detective and the writer watched in amazement as Esposito stared dumbfounded, as she headed to the 'morgue-mobile'.

Kate cleared her throat as they walked up to him. It made the usually stalwart detective jump.

"Everything okay Esposito?"

"Wha? Yea. Uh…Beth Summers is sitting in the lounge back there. She's a nurse here. Told me that the vet came in last night, looking a little worse for wear, and told her to go home, that she'd cover for the night. Summers said that she had planned on coming in to open up and let the doctor take a little break. She said she couldn't find her, and figured she stepped out for some coffee, so she went back to check on the pets, and…well, you know what she found."

Kate nodded, and stepped into the lounge to talk to the nurse, while Castle hung back a bit.

"Hey," Castle tapped Esposito, who was still in his own world, on the shoulder, "anything you want to share with the class?"

"You kidding bro?" Esposito laughed, pulling his winter coat back up onto his shoulders. "I'm not telling you anything." His head was shaking as he moved to leave, stopping in the doorway. "Tell Beckett I'm going to go get started on the report, I'll see you guys back at the precinct."

With a smug grin Castle lifted his hand for a wave. "Will do. Just remember, I have my own sources of finding things out."

"Whatever you say Castle." Esposito finally moved out into the cold, shaking a chill off his ears.

Castle let him go, laughing to himself as he stepped back to find his girlfriend the detective.

* * *

_Yay! Another chapter! Thank you all for the alerts and all the kind reviews! I really appreciate it! My intent was to make this chapter longer, but I figure I'd rather not make you wait. So, have a Happy Thanksgiving if you're in the US! And if not, have a fantastic day! _

_Let me know what you think!_

_Love,  
Tappin _


	4. Chapter 4

When Castle entered the tiny lounge Beckett had just finished introducing herself to the nurse. The very shaky nurse, who was currently trying her best not to spill the glass of water down her front.

He politely shut the door behind himself and took the open seat beside Kate. It did not go unnoticed that he sat down without a word – totally out of character for him. That was one of those things that Kate noticed had changed since they officially started dating. He tried harder to be on his best behavior.

"Beth, this is Richard Castle. He's an author. He's helping me with my work."

The young woman looked up, her eyes distant and glassy. Her pale pink nails tapped a nervous rhythm against the glass. "What?" Her gaze seemed to cut a path straight through the author. "Oh, sure. I think…I think I recognize you. You wrote, oh what is it? _Heat Wave_? The one about that homicide detective?" She let out a watery laugh. "I read so much that things start to run together. My fiancé likes to tease me about it. Says I have a library in my brain but no card catalogue."

Castle gave her one of his warm smiles - one of the smiles that Kate knew would help her feel better – and placed his hand on Kate's knee. "Yea, that's one of mine. And as much as I would love for you to remember my work more clearly, I have to admire an avid reader."

Beckett kept her face fixed on Beth's while she delicately moved her boyfriend's hand off of her knee. An interview was no place for the touch, no matter how comforting it was. "Ms. Summers you last saw Dr. Michaels last night? What can you tell me about that?"

"Last night?" The girl began to twist the glass around on the tabletop. "Yes…uh…she came in at around 9:30, maybe 9:45. She almost walked right past me, but I…kind of scared her, I guess? I don't think she remembered I was there." She looked back up at the detective who questioned her so kindly. "The nurses alternate taking the nightshift in the kennel. Can't leave the animals alone, you know? But Dr. Michaels hardly ever spends the night, she's got…she had a husband and a little boy. Jake," she smiled into her cup, "he was adorable. She loved him more than anything."

Castle folded his fingers together, leaned on his knees. "So, she spent the nights at home with them."

"Yea. But last night she came in and told me to go home, because they were out of town and she wanted to get some work done."

After scribbling some words down in her notebook Beckett continued with the standard question repertoire. "Did she seem like there was anything was wrong?"

"Well, like I said, she nearly walked right passed me, and…when I spoke up she did kind of jump. Like she was lost in her thoughts?"

"I know what that feels like" Castle murmured. Kate poked his foot with the toe of her boot.

"I know I should've stayed." Nervously, Beth started to chew on her thumbnail. "I told her that I'd be able to stay with her, give her a hand with the animals, so she could really get some work done, but she just waved me off. Told me that I should get home to my fiancé. Maybe if I had stayed with her-"

"You both…might be dead." Kate reached across the table and laid a hand on top of Beth's, which was cold and nervous. "You did the right thing. There's no way for you to know what would've happened if you were both here. I'm sure you're fiancé is very thankful right now that you're ok."

Beth snapped up from her slouch and frantically looked around. "Oh my gosh Nick! I-I still haven't told him." She pulled her cell phone from her purse and flipped it open, still shaking. "Right after I came in and….well, I called you guys. I need to call him. Tell him what happened."

"Hey, hey there," Kate rose from her chair and came around to calm the girl down, "why don't you go home to him. We've got everything we need for now, and if I have to I can get a hold of you. The other detective took down your phone number and address right?"

Beth swallowed so deeply that Castle swore she had a whole apple in her throat. "Yea, he…he did. You're sure that's alright?"

"I'm sure. Go ahead. I'll have an officer give you a ride so that you don't have to go by yourself."

Beth stood on wobbly legs and moved towards the exit. She turned when she reached the door to the lounge and extended her hand. Kate reached out to meet it. "Thank you, Detective."

"You're very welcome. It's what I do."

She watched as the girl simply smiled and stepped out. Sighing, she turned around to see Castle holding out her bag and notebook to her.

"You know," he said, handing them over and pulling her into a side hug, "it's not just your job," he dropped a tender kiss to her head, "it's who you are."

Kate laughed, shaking her head as they walked around the front of the lobby to the doctor's office. "Come on Romeo, let's go check out our vet's office." She separated from him to walk in first, finding Detective Ryan hunched over in the top desk drawer. Pulling a pair of gloves from her coat pocket, she came around next to him.

"Find anything?"

Ryan looked up from the day planner he was flipping through. "Yup. Our vet liked to keep her calendar pretty organized. She's got doctor's appointments, for her and her husband, and her son written down, dates for conferences, research meetings, even has her favorite television shows written in."

"Huh," Beckett brushed a stray hand of her long brown hair behind her ear and bent to read over his shoulder, "looks like she was pretty detailed. What's this?" She threaded her arm below his to point at an entry. Castle watched, amused at their little game of Twister from the other side of the desk.

"Hmm," Ryan leaned in a little closer to the tiny print, "looks like the she had dinner last night with an Elizabeth Singer. Six fifteen at _Yo In Yo Out_."

"Look at this," Castle had wandered over to the wall and was pointing to a degree, "her maiden name was Singer. Maybe she was meeting her sister? Or a cousin or something?"

Beckett and Ryan unwound themselves and stood up, Beckett with her hands on her hips, Ryan jotting down information in his flip pad. "Ryan can you look into that? And see if you can get her to come in for questioning?"

"You got it." He finished the note and pulled off his gloves. "I'm gonna go get started on that. Anything else while I'm going?"

"Nope," his boss sighed, "not unless you can tell me who killed her? It'd save us a whole lot of time." She threw him a quirky grin as she peeled off her own gloves.

"Don't I wish."? He knocked against the doorframe. "I'll see you in a bit."

Kate watched him go, not noticing that Rick had stepped up behind her and was looking at a picture in his hand. She turned around and jumped.

"Jeez Rick! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Of course not." She could hear the attempt at sarcasm in his voice, hidden somewhere beneath a coating of some sort of sadness. Looking down she saw the picture that had captivated his focus. It was a dark haired little boy, dressed in a red and white striped baseball uniform, with a shiny red helmet – at least a size to big – and a bat in his grip.

"It's not fair. This poor little boy lost his mother. And he's too little to even really understand that." His eyes met hers, just a little too glossy for her liking.

With one hand she took the frame from him, laying it down on the desk, while the other reached up to warm his neck, her thumb brushing along his jaw.

"It's never fair Rick. All we can do is try to make it a little more bearable."

He turned his head and kissed her palm, mumbling into it. "I know. And I love you so much more for being able to do that."

"Why don't we get out of here? I need to hunt down her family, and I think you can use a break."

"Have I ever told you how smart you are?"

"Hmm," she smiled, looking off with a mock thoughtful look, "maybe once or twice. But it's always nice to hear."

Laughing off some stress they walked back out into the February chill, with their fingers laced together. Steeled for the undeniable emotion this case would throw down.

* * *

_Woo hoo! Another update! Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! You make me smile. I like this chapter, personally (though, I'm a little biased), I think it's a good balance. And for the record, I gave the victim one of my own annoying habits - I actuall write my television into my planner. Not that that's really relevant at all, but people find it entertaining, so I wanted to share. _

_Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!_

_Love,  
__Tappin _


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm telling you Kate, there's something going on."

Kate rolled her eyes as she reached for a mug. The two were standing in front of the espresso machine that Rick had purchased for them long ago. Rick took the mug from her hands and began making her a much-needed cup of coffee. She was tired, and though she wouldn't admit it, he could tell by the creases on the corners of her eyes and the paleness to her skin.

"And I'm not denying that there is, but we can't just assume." When the cup was full she stole it back, bringing the sweet aroma to her nose. That alone seemed to give her a little jolt of energy. Careful not to burn her tongue she took a long sip, savoring every second. "You know what happens when you assume, Castle."

In a teasing, questioning gesture she twitched her eyebrows at him while he filled his own mug, and watched as he carefully chose his next words. Still waiting his response she took a seat at the table in the break room. Without a peep he took his drink to sit opposite her.

"Well, we've already established that I can be a wise-ass, and I personally believe that yours is particularly stunning," he ignored her attempt to comment, "so I don't think that's an issue here. Besides," he said before taking a swig of his coffee, "you know as well as I do that we have about a ninety-nine percent chance of being correct."

From across the table she nodded at him. He did have a point there. Lanie and Esposito looked quite friendly in the doorway at the crime scene. But Lanie was her best friend, she would have told her right? And Rick thought that _she_ was a hypocrite. Lanie was the one who should eat her words, not her.

Kate sighed, toying with the mug's handle, "I guess we're just going to have to investigate then, won't we?"

Rick noticed her smirk, and was amused by her playful tone. "Why, Detective," he crooned, "I had no idea you could be so devious!"

"Just another layer to the Beckett Onion Mr. Castle. Who knows how many more lie beneath." She stood from her seat and moved to top off her mug. She had barely drank half of the stuff, but breaking the conversation added so much to the theatrics of messing with her boyfriend's head.

She was so lost in thoughts of teasing the man, that she didn't notice him come up behind her, until she felt on hand come to rest on her left hip, the other on her opposing shoulder. He had leaned in so that his chin was perched on her shoulder, his voice a tender whisper in her ear.

"Oh, I have every intention of discovering the answer to that question." He began to move his hands in circular motions, sending a warm shiver down her spine. "And now I'm guaranteed to have many," he nipped at the shell of her ear, "many, chances." Kate couldn't help but giggle as he buried his face in her neck, until the shock of their position struck.

With her mug safe on the countertop she was free to wiggle out of his arms, and turn around to lean against the cabinet. His hands shifted so that they were both resting on her hips, hers in the crooks of his elbows.

"You know," he started, excitement in his voice, "we should have a party. Yes! Our first official party in _our_ home."

Kate's eyes drifted down to her shoes as he spoke. She was not one for big to-dos like he was. "Rick, I-I don't want to totally rain on your little parade there, but it's not a big deal." She looked back up into his clear blue eyes – shocked once again by how vivid they were.

"Are you kidding?" There was still a blinding grin on his face. "Of course this is a big deal. I love you Kate, and I want everyone to know how excited I am to have you in my life."

One of her hands moved from his arm to his neck, fingering the fuzz of his hairline on the back of his head. "I love you too, and I understand that, but this doesn't need to be a big blowout. How about we just have the guys and Lanie over for poker? You know how much they love that, and your mother, my dad, and the Captain can join us too if you want?"

Rick smiled, pulling her close for a proper embrace. Pressing his face to the side of hers he spoke. "Whatever you want. It's your home too, and I want you to remember that." He pulled back so that they could speak face to face. "If you want just the gang for poker, I'm absolutely, one hundred percent, totally cool with that. But only if you are."

"Yeah, that's what I want. They're the people who matter most to us, who care about us more than anyone."

"So poker it is!" He practically jumped backwards, clapping his hands together, in some sort of expression of definition. "How does Friday night sound to you?"

"Uh." Kate was baffled by how quickly he agreed. "That…sounds perfect. We just have to let everyone know."

"Easy! We'll see the guys and Lanie and the Captain here, and we can tell Mother tonight, and you can call your dad whenever you get the chance."

Kate folded her arms across her chest, laughing at the site.

"What are you so giggly at?" Rick asked of her.

She shook her head, bottom lip tucked between her teeth. "You're just so excited about this. It's amusing."

"Hey," he crossed back over to her, and gripped her elbows, "I told you, I love you, and I want this for us. To be happy. To share it with people we care about. I would do _anything_ for you Kate."

Kate tilted her head up, and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, only to be interrupted by Esposito's knock on the doo frame.

The two shot apart when he cleared his throat. He was leaning through the opening, a sheet of paper in his hand. "So, I've got the background information on our veterinarian. Do you want to take a look? Or is now not a good time?" He shot a teasing grin at the couple, entertained by how they were still so skittish about each other in the precinct.

"Shut up Esposito." Beckett, back in full force, picked up her mug again to take a drink, "what can you tell me about her?"

"Dr. Jeanine Michaels, age thirty-seven. Her husband Evan and her son Jacob live in Yonkers, just outside the city. I've got an address for you here." He held out the sheet of paper for her to inspect, and she took it from him with a questioning look on her face. "Ryan's still trying to contact the sister. Not quite sure what's holding him up though."

Esposito threw his arms in the air with a shrug, and glanced back to see his partner on the phone, presumably trying to locate the victim's sister.

"Alright," Beckett sighed, taking note of the address and telephone number on the page, "thanks for this. See if you can find anything in her financials that might've set something off. You know the drill."

He gave her a miniature salute before turning to go back to his desk. "You got it," he called over his shoulder.

Kate carefully folded up the piece of paper and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. When she turned she found Rick rinsing out his mug. She smiled, her thoughts lingering on their friends and their future, before walking over to him. He reached for her mug, which she gladly handed to him. She abhorred washing dishes of any kind. This Rick knew, so he mentally prepared himself for dish duty for…forever? He hoped so.

"I'm going to go see what Lanie's found out. You coming?"

He dried off the mug, placed it back on the shelf. "Dead bodies? Anytime."

Arm in arm they walked towards her desk to grab their coats, and just as they reached the rim of the bullpen, a cell phone went off.

Rick dipped into his pocket, fishing out his cell phone. He looked at the caller ID and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's Alexis. She's supposed to be skiing."

Kate pulled her arm from his. "You should answer it. I'll go talk to Lanie, and I'll meet you back here when I'm done. I need to talk to her about girl stuff anyway."

The phone stopped ringing for a moment, Alexis apparently giving up her call, and then began again.

"Answer your daughter," Kate said, before pressing a kiss to his cheek, "I'll see you soon."

Rick nodded, brining the phone up to his ear. "Hey sweetie! What's up? How are those snowy slopes?"

He spoke with a smile, which he shared with his favorite detective as she boarded the elevator with a wave.

* * *

_This update took a lot longer than I hoped it would. I have no other explanation that school has been kicking my butt. It's been a very frustrating week, so I'm glad I found time to write. _

_So, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is: this chapter was originally going to include the impending Lanie scene. But I was so determined to update that I decided to split it into two! Yay! The bad news is: this upcoming week is finals week, so it could potentially be another week before I update again. Sad, right? _

_You guys are so fantastic! I love being able to hear from you! Please let me know what you think! Reviews make me smile!_

_Love,  
Tappin  
_

_PS - Here's wishing a very Happy Hanukkah to all of those celebrating! With love from me to you! And a very happy and healty holiday season to everyone!_


	6. Chapter 6

The elevator doors shut, Kate smiling from the inside at the man she left behind in the bullpen. He was sweet, she thought. She loved seeing him talk to Alexis, even though this time, it had just been over the phone. He probably didn't realize it – there was no way he could – but he always perked up, just a bit, when they were around or talking about his daughter. She always saw a little spark in his eye when they spoke.

Kate wondered if people saw that same spark in her father. She knew he was proud of her, despite the rocky start to her career.

Her stomach twisted with the thought.

It had taken her father quite a while to come to terms with her being a cop. In the beginning he called her every hour or two, just to make sure she was still alive. There had been many evenings spent arguing the point over take-out dinners, each ending in slammed doors and wet tissues from both parties.

It was only after she called him on one cold January night that he relented. She had just closed her first case as a Detective. It had been a grueling, absolutely agonizing investigation. A little boy had been drowned in his family's swimming pool, his babysitter stabbed to death in the family's kitchen. The pair was left unacknowledged for days until a gardener stumbled across the boy and called the police. The rookie Detective, with no official partner, spent weeks on the case. She hunted down the boy's parents, finding them on an anniversary vacation, and having left their son at home with a sitter.

Through the discovery of strands of dog hair, she determined that the neighbor had been in the house recently, with his Golden Retriever, Max – an event that the boy's family knew nothing about. His alibi for the times of death fell through in interrogation and Kate ultimately broke him, all on her own.

The 47 year-old single man had a deranged fantasy involving the family's babysitter and couldn't deny himself any longer. In an attempt to enact his visions, the pair struggled, ending with the girl being attacked with a kitchen knife, and the boy drowned after he tried to scream for help.

The case had shaken her to her bones, for sure, but it had taught her about herself. Delivering the news to the two families had been bittersweet, as it should be, but she handled herself perfectly. And in bringing justice, she felt indescribable pride.

Over the phone, while still in the precinct not ten minutes after talking to the families, she recounted the tale for her father. It was then that he knew she was doing the right thing, for the right reasons. She had been wired with excitement and confidence, and her father could tell.

It remained a sore subject for a while, but over time, they both accepted the other's opinion and logic.

Then one evening at a small party her dad had held, a friend of his came up to her. One of his college buddies. Peter, if Kate was remembering correctly. He had told her that he had never heard Jim talk about his little girl so much as he had been in recent months.

That was right after she had taken on Ryan and Esposito to her team. Right when she really hit her stride as a Detective.

Recalling the moment, Kate thought that perhaps people did see him as she saw Rick.

The elevator pinged, and the doors slid open, breaking her from her memories. Her heels clicked as she walked down the tiled hallway to Lanie's domain.

Her opened the swinging doors, finding her friend perched over their victim's head, a series of x-rays providing the backdrop.

"Hey Lanie," Kate sighed, still a little lost in her thoughts, "what can you tell me?"

The medical examiner didn't look up, as she was occupied with a series of scratches along the woman's jaw. "For one thing, I can tell you that Dr. Michaels had incredible skin."

Kate squinted, cocking her head. "And…exactly, how, is that relevant?"

Lanie stood and turned, leaving her gloved hands in open air. "Well, for one thing, it makes my job just a little bit easier. But first things first, judging from these," she motioned to the scans on the display mounted on the wall, "there was one hell of a struggle. Your girl has three fractures between her two arms, and a cracked rib. There are also some nasty bruises along her arms and shoulders. And here," they moved down the line to a scan of the woman's skull, "you can see that there was a degree of blunt force trauma along her squamosal suture, which was likely caused from having her head bashed into the casing of the fire extinguisher."

Kate twisted her lips in thought. "Alright, so…what killed her?"

Lanie motioned her friend over to a magnifying glass she had swiveled around. It hovered over the victim's face, right where Lanie had been when the detective walked in.

"See these?" She pointed to what appeared to be the marks of a hand's grip on the lower part of the vet's right jaw. There were red streaks from scratches, and thick pink ribbons along where fingers kept a tight grip. "Whoever did her in, had her face in a tight hold." Their eyes met as situations played through Kate's imagination. "What killed her, was this," Lanie carefully turned the woman's head so that Kate had a clear look of the left ear, and the thin stain of blood along the inside of it.

"Her killer stabbed her in the ear, puncturing her brain, ultimately causing her to bleed out. Hence, the lovely little red sea we discovered at the scene."

"Any idea what she was stabbed with?" The two continued to discuss as they moved from the table.

Lanie ticked her tounge to her teeth, pulled her pale pink gloves off her hands with a snap. "Considering the angle of the injury, I'd say something like pliers, or forceps."

"Forceps? Like a vet would use?"

"There ya' go. I'd have to agree that that should be your first avenue of investigation."

Kate nodded, and moved over toward an empty table at the other end of the room. Two hands braced on the edge, she hoisted herself up to sit on the top. Lanie leaned against the wall, with her arms folded across her chest, one to perched over the other foot.

"So," Lanie eyed Kate with a smirk, it was amusing how Kate enjoyed her spot on the empty table, swinging her legs back and forth like a little girl, "what's got you so thoughtful?"

"What?"

"You're sitting there on your hands, swingin' your legs, and you only do that when you have something to tell me."

Kate huffed. "Fine, maybe I do have something to tell you. Are you sure you want to stay an ME? You'd be pretty good in interrogation."

"Girl, please," Lanie rolled her eyes, "what is it?"

"I decided to move in with Alexis and Rick this morning." She braced herself, knowing full well that her friend would be excited.

"Took you long enough! What convinced you? Him or her?" The petitie medical examiner strutted over to the table and hopped up next to one of her closest friends.

Kate's voice dropped to a whisper. "Both of them," she bit her lip, turned her head to face Lanie, "and a very convincing argument that my apartment deserves someone better than me." She let out a little laugh at the look on Lanie's face. "It's a Castle thing."

"Ah," mused Lanie, a curious and teasing look in her eye, "so now you've got inside jokes? This is more serious than I thought."

"Shut up Lanie." The detective smiled, giving a little shove with her shoulder. "It's a good thing. I know it is."

"Damn right it's a good thing!" Lanie placed a gentle hand on Kate's shoulder. "Kate he makes you happy. Alexis makes you happy. That's not just good, that's fantastic." She was trying hard to laugh through her teeth as she spoke, the nerves apparent on Kate's features.

"Well, we're having a little party Friday night. Just poker with the guys and our parents, nothing big. Think you can make it?"

"Of course. And since you're going to be living in Castle's castle, you can expect me around more often, too." They laughed together, nerves forgotten. The pair always seemed to have an easy time of brushing off issues like dust. It didn't matter what they were, arguments or sadness, just the company of one was enough to make the other feel better.

"So…" Kate began to swing her legs again, "is your RSVP for one…or two?"

Instantly Lanie's demeanor changed. Her head snapped to, giving Kate a questioning eye. There was a somewhat irritated flip to her flips, and a teeny twitch to the corner of her mouth.

Had Kate not been a detective, she wouldn't have noticed the tells.

Her friend attempted a laugh to accompany her response. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, just…checking to see if you would be bringing anyone Friday night."

"Why would you think that?"

Kate tilted her head, trying to think of the appropriate way of getting her friend to talk. "Just…um, is there anything you, uh, wanted to tell me?"

But Lanie was having none of it.

"Absolutely not." With that, the woman hopped off the metal table and pulled another pair of gloves from the box mounted next to the door. "Now, if you will excuse me, I still have a couple other tests to run on your veteranarian." She didn't give Kate a chance to reply before she had pulled on a pair of micro-glasses, bending once more over the body of Jeanine Michaels.

With a lift of her eyebrows and a twist to her lips, Kate left the morgue. As she took the elevator back up to the cage, she thought about her friend's avoidance. Obviously, there was indeed something going on between her medical examiner and her detective.

The metal doors slid open once more, bringing Kate back to her start in the bullpen. She headed back to her desk, finding Rick perched on the edge, studying the murder board.

There wasn't much on it yet. Only details under headings of 'family' and 'work'. They didn't even have a suspect yet. Trying not to disturb his thought process, she put down her notepad – now updated with cause of death – and moved to be beside him.

His hands were clasped together in front of him, ankles crossed. Kate mimicked his position, taking another glance at the sparse whiteboard.

"So what did Alexis want?"

"Mm?" His attention peaked at her voice. "Oh! She's coming home today."

"What?" She was shocked. "She was so excited for the trip, what happened? Did she get hurt?"

Rick sighed, a small hint of stress in his tone. "She didn't," he ran his hand through his hair, "but Paige's little sister did. Erin broke her arm on her first solo-slope."

Kate blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Thankful for the fact that their girl was alright. "Aw, how is she?"

"As good as can be expected from an eleven year-old. But they cancelled the rest of the trip. Alexis'll be home in a couple of hours." Happy that his daughter was safe, Rick reached over, taking Kate's hand in his. Gently, he bounced their paired hands against his thighs. "What did Lanie have to say?"

"Well, aside from deftly avoiding any questions about Esposito?" She rolled her eyes at the playful grin he flashed. "We have the cause of death."

She stood from leaning against her desk, took a marker from the metal try, and prepared to add the new information to the board. "It happens that Dr. Michaels was somewhat stabbed in the brain. Her killer attacked her with a pair of forceps, causing her to bleed out."

She turned her back to him, writing the details down for all to see. When she finished she found him staring off into space, fingers drumming on the edge of the desk.

"I wonder if she heard him coming." He mused. His smile tilted, anticipating her inevitable eye roll.

And, true to form, her beautiful green eyes took a sweep of the ceiling.

"Focus Castle. Who would want to do this to her? I mean, it's incredibly violent. Not like some guy just beat the crap out of her, he took a pair of forceps to her ear canal, for goodness sake." She stood, arms crossed, chewing on a thumbnail. "If you ask me that kind of ruthlessness shows a hell of a lot of anger."

"Well then," he nodded, "we have to figure out who she made so angry."

"Beckett." Ryan approached from the other side of the floor, Beckett immediately changing gears to hear him out. In his hand he held a folder, whose edge he tapped against the palm of his hand.

"Yea?" She dropped the dry erase marker back in its home in the tray and brushed her long bangs behind her ear.

"It took me forever, but I finally found her." To Castle, the detective looked nearly out of breath. "Elizabeth Singer? The victim's sister? She's here. Waiting for you in the family conference room."

Beckett gave him a smile, appreciating his dedication. "Thanks Ryan. What's in the file?" She pointed to the folded piece of cardstock in his grip.

"Oh, this is the report of the victims financials you asked for."

"Why do you have it? I told Esposito to take care of this."

He passed the folder over, making her aware of the post-it on the top. Beckett squinted trying to make out Esposito's sloppy scrawl.

_no red flags. accounts are clean._

_be back, just went to grab lunch._

"What is it?" Castle piped up from where he stayed beside her desk.

"He went out to grab lunch…looks like." She raised her eyes, catching Ryan's. They couldn't help but offer unsure looks regarding the note.

"Alright, then. Come on Castle, let's go talk to the sister." She swapped the folder for her notepad, and headed off to the conference room.

Castle moved to follow her, pausing only to turn back to Ryan, who was reading the new information on the murder board. "Hey Ryan?"

The detective was standing with his hands in his pants pockets, but turned at the call.

"Castle?"

"Don't you usually go to lunch with Esposito?" Castle teased as he backed away, noting yet another exasperated facial expression.

Ryan waved a hand at him, turning to go back to his own desk. "Shut up Castle."

* * *

_Ok. Let me make a really long story short. I had exams, then my laptop's motherboard died and I was without a computer for 4 days. Hence, I was totally unable to write._

_But now I'm home! Thank goodness! And I have nothing holding me back from writing whenever I want! Yay! So the next chapter should only be a few days away._

_So now, this chapter? Thoughts? Good? Bad? Let me know please! Thank you for everyone who's been reviewing. I know I usually reply, but obviously, life got in the way. I really appreciate the feedback though._

_Love,  
Tappin _


	7. Chapter 7

The woman sitting in the conference room could be described as a doll. She was on the shorter side, thin, but not frail, with long dark hair, sleek as silk, and wide green eyes that focused on the table in front of her. Her breath was measured, the only sign that she was, in fact, a real person.

There was a pink tinge to the whites of those green eyes, and shiny trails along her cheeks, left behind from tears.

Beckett walked in with quiet steps, carefully, took a seat on cool, caramel colored leather. She studied the woman's face, only finding evidence of her distress and shock over the death of her little sister.

"Miss Singer?"

"Huh? What?" She was startled from some deep pool of thought by her voice. "Oh, yes, Detective. He...uh…he said that my sister, Jeanine, he said she was murdered?" Elizabeth Singer began to pull at the tissue in her hands, the moist material ripping, even with the slightest touch. "Is that-is that true?"

With a sigh Kate shifted in her chair so that she was leaning closer to the woman. She balanced her notebook on her lap while she searched her brain for the best way to deliver the news.

"I'm afraid so. She was found early this morning by one of her nurses." Kate let the information sink in before continuing. "We saw in her day planner that she had dinner with you the night before she died, did she…say anything odd to you? Mention that someone, or something was bothering her?"

Elizabeth touched the tissue to the corner of her eye; her knee began to bob up and down with nerves. "We, we met at about six thirty, and everything was fine. She was telling me about how Evan had taken Jake to a hockey game or something? She seemed a little down, but-wait."

"What is it Miss Singer?"

The woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat, fidgeted again with the tissue in her fingers. "I'm a lawyer, Detective. And…I deal with business law, but she had asked me, more toward the end of the night about how she would go about getting a restraining order."

Kate's brow furrowed in thought. Why would a well to do vet with a loving family need a restraining order?

Castle finally spoke up from his seat beside Beckett. "Had she mentioned anything about someone who would drive her to that?" He was leaned over in his chair, fingers laced together, perched on his knees.

"Um, I guess…the only person I can think of is this other vet. Some guy named Nolan? Yea, that's it. Nolan. She had told me once or twice that he was giving her a hard time. He said she was stealing his patients. But when I asked her about it last night, if she was worried about him…she just brushed me off."

Kate stood, extending her hand to the distraught older sister. "Thank you very much for your help. I'll be sure to let you know if anything turns up."

Elizabeth just nodded, watching as Kate moved to leave the room, Castle right behind her. It wasn't until she reached the door that she spoke up.

"Detective?"

"Yes?" Her hand fell off the knob when she turned to the request.

"Should I call her husband? I mean, the only things Jeanine ever cared about were her boys and those animals." There were tears pooled in her eyes as she spoke, which did not go unnoticed by the Detective.

"I assure you, Miss Singer, I'll take care of letting him know. Why don't you go home and relax. Is there someone I could call for you?"

She shook her head no. "No, I...uh, I'll be alright. I'm just going to head home and…sleep or something."

"I'll keep you posted." Kate nodded to her, and pulled the door open.

"Thank you." Came a whisper from behind her.

Rick's eyes met Elizabeth's as Kate left the room. The cool blue soft and kind. A silent comfort to the big sister now without her little. When her face darted down, searching for her purse, he took his cue to leave her some privacy.

He found Kate poised next to Ryan's desk when he came out. He was leaned into his computer screen, pulling up window after window, and she was leaned over, scribbling something down on a post-it.

She turned around before he could say anything, and grabbed her coat and bag from her chair.

"Let's go, Castle." She met him to walk to the elevator. "Time for a drive out to Yonkers."

"Oh how I love these little excursions!" He all but skipped into the elevator next to her. "Don't think we've been to that side of town for an investigation before."

Kate leaned over him to hit the button for the parking garage. "Well, there's always a first time for everything, Castle."

When they reached her police-issue Crown Vic Rick broached the subject of her moving in. It was the first time it would be discussed since she had said yes.

"So," he started his sentence as she turned the key, the engine roaring to life, "about you moving in with us…"

For a moment Kate paused, hands braced on the wheel. He thought he saw her breath catch in her throat. But then she turned to him, with a smile on her face and a look in her eye that seemed to say 'Bring it on writer-boy'.

"What about it?"

"I…" he found himself uncharacteristically unsure of what to say, "…was just wondering, _when_ you wanted to move in? I mean, I don't want to rush you or anything, I just…want to make sure everything's ready when you are."

The buildings of the city passed them by as they made their way through the concrete jungle called New York.

"What do you mean 'everything'? How much could possibly be left to do on your end? I'm the one that has to pack up an entire apartment."

"Well I have to empty drawers, and make more space for you in the closet and the bathroom. I want to clean out some of the kitchen so that you don't have to get rid of all your stuff. You deserve some wall space, and…I want to get set up somewhere for you to have an office of your own. I know how you like to work, and I don't want that to change just because you're moving."

Kate turned in her seat to look at him when they stopped at a red light. She leaned over, cupping his face in her hand. Searching his eyes, she found nothing but sincerity.

"Rick, I love that you want to do all these things for me, but we can do them together. That's part of the fun of cohabitating. Arguing over whether I get the top shelf or the bottom, which bathroom cabinet is yours, and which wall gets to hold up my Degas _Dancer on Stage_. We have to blend our lives, and we have to do that together. I _want_ for us to do that together."

She smiled warmly, her pearly white teeth peeking through her lips. He returned the sentiment, adding only, a kiss to the palm of her hand.

When the light turned green they turned frontwards again, continuing the drive. "How, um…how are we going to tell Alexis." There was faint presence of uncertainty in Kate's voice when she posed the question.

Rick smacked his lips together. "Well, I was thinking we would just tell her over dinner tonight. Considering the fact that she is home unexpectedly early." Her thoughts were practically written on her face, so Rick thought. "Don't worry," he reached over and put his hand on her leg, "Alexis loves you. She'll take it just fine."

A slight laugh escaped her. "I'm not worried about her not being okay with it. She practically attacked me when we told her we were dating in the first place." Her statement paused as she made a left hand turn through the busy traffic. "It's just that her home is clearly a major part of her life, and I want to make sure she's absolutely sure. I don't just want to barge in and-"

"Kate!" Rick had to stop himself from grabbing her hands. That definitely wouldn't be smart while she was driving. But, he couldn't bear to see her rambling on.

"What?" She looked stunned to be silenced.

"Kate, relax. Alexis is going to be thrilled. Somewhere underneath all this murder evidence you've got swirling around in your pretty little head you know that she's going to be even more excited than I am."

With a sigh, Kate nodded. "You're right. I hate to admit it because I know that you'll never let me forget that I said it…but, you're right. I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now."

She was still mulling things over in her head when she pulled up in front of the apartment building. It was a modest building, with a worn stone exterior. The lobby was sparsely furnished, a stack of newspapers taking up a corner. The tiny elevator sported a newsletter from the building's super.

Rick looked over, watching as Kate read through the notes she had already compiled. He smiled, reached over to lovingly run his fingers through the ends of her hair. The elevator dinged and halted, letting them out.

"Come on," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "let's go talk to our doctor's husband. Maybe it'll help clear out some of that mess in your head."

They reached the door and Kate shook off his hold. It was unprofessional for work, but he was already used to that. She peeled her gloves off, gracious for the warmth of the hallway rather than the cold February air, and knocked on the door.

The door was opened by a man just a hair shorter than Rick. There was a tired strain on his face, around his mouth and eyes, and a slouch to his posture. "Can I help you?"

Kate held up her badge for him to see. "Mr. Michaels? We're here about Jeanine."

"Of course, why don't you come on in."?

It was then that Kate took notice of the tiny hand gripping Evan Michaels' pants leg. The owner of the hand peered around the khakis, deep brown eyes finding Kate's green ones. There was a cap of matching brown hair on his head, nearly long enough to meet his eyes.

"Lady? Do you know where my mama is?"

Kate's heart wrenched at the question. She squatted down so that she could be face to face with him, while Rick laid a hand on the boy's father's shoulder. From one concerned father to another.

"Hi Jake, my name is Kate." She held her hand out, and it was eyed tentatively before he reached out to shake it. "I have some things to talk about with your dad. Can you do me a really big favor and go play in your room?" She didn't let a sign of sadness breach her face, instead keeping it a shield for the little boy, against what he would unfortunately, soon, have to face.

Jake was clearly unsure. The woman talking to him was kind. She spoke softly, and smiled. But he didn't want to leave his dad.

"Hey Jake!" Rick bent down next to her to talk to the boy. "My name is Rick, and I bet you have a lot of cool toys. Am I right?"

A small smile emerged on his little face. "Uh huh." His hand left his father's leg as he stepped closer to this new person. "I can show you."

Rick's face lit up instantly. "Really?" He let every ounce of childlike excitement he had seep into his voice.

Jake took hold of his hand and began to pull him towards his bedroom. "Come on."

When they reached the boy's room Rick nodded to Kate before shutting the door. He would occupy Jake while she did her job. Even Michaels warily watched as the door closed before turning back to the detective.

"I knew something was wrong." He ran a hand through his lengthy mocha colored hair. "I called this morning before Jake and I left our hotel. She didn't answer." He looked up at Kate as he leaned against the archway between the living room and the kitchen. "Jeanine always answered."

"Mr. Michaels, why don't you have a seat? Can I get you something? A drink maybe?" She motioned to the kitchen table behind him.

"No, no," he lead her further in, offering up chairs, "I'm alright." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Well, I'm not alright at all…but I suppose you know what I mean. You've seen this before."

For a couple of minutes neither dared say anything. Kate could tell that the man needed a moment. Men always did. He had just lost his wife; his son had just lost his mother.

"Mr. Michaels, one of your wife's nurses found her early this morning. She told us that Jeanine had come in late last night and told her to go home, that she would take the night shift."

He smiled. "Jeanine would occasionally offer to take over at night. She always felt bad about her nurses missing out on what…" he choked "…on what we had. Can you tell me, Detective, can you tell me how she died?"

Beckett sighed. "I don't want to scare you Mr. Michaels, but someone broke into her office and stabbed her. She bled out."

A terrified breath stumbled out of the man's mouth. "Why? Why would anyone want to hurt Jeanine? She was such a magnificent person. She was always doing research or fundraising for animals. And if she wasn't taking care of people's pets she was taking care of us. Jake was her whole life." He let himself smile again. "She wanted to buy Jake a puppy for his birthday next month."

"Had Jeanine mentioned anyone that was giving her trouble? Her sister told us that she was interested in getting a restraining order."

He shook his head. "No. Not really. I mean, she was coming home stressed more often than usual, but she never really wanted to talk about it. Only once she had been telling me that some guy was sending her a bunch of emails, and showing up to places she liked to go. Just annoying her I thought."

"Elizabeth mentioned another vet named Nolan?"

"Yea, he was her mentor. But when Jake turned three she started her own practice."

Kate's head jerked at the sound of Jake's door opening. She could hear Rick's voice and the little boy's excited giggles. She stood with Evan and they made their way back to the living room.

"Is there anything else you can think of Mr. Michaels? Anything at all?"

Again the man shook his head. "No, no. I just don't get it. Who would want to hurt Jeanine?"

"That's what I'm going to find out."

Just then a flash of dark hair flew back into the room. "Daddy, daddy! Look what Mr. Rick showed me!" In his hands he was holding a Lego model of the Millennium Falcon. "We built it!"

Rick stepped beside Kate, rubbing shoulders. They watched as Evan kneeled to his son's level, running his hand through his hair. He held back tears as he pulled his son into his arms.

"That's cool Buddy!" He pressed a kiss to the boy's head. "That's really cool."

Behind her back Rick pulled Kate's hand into his. "Come on Mr. Rick," she whispered, "let's head back."

* * *

_::sigh::_

_I know, I didn't keep my promise. And I'm not even gonna try and explain myself. I'm just gonna apologize profusely and try to do better._

_But thank you so much to everyone who's still with me! I'm enjoying writing this, when I can actually write! Personally, I like this chapter - got the touching case-related emotion, and the endlessy adorable Castle/Beckett fluff. Next chapter should have a lot more of the latter. _

_Thanks for reading! Hit the review button and let me know if you're still here!_

_Love,  
Tappin_

_PS - I made a new Castle video on youtube! Look me up and check it out! Richard Castle to the tune of "I'm Too Sexy". It ROCKS! _


	8. Chapter 8

The two peeled off icy wet gloves as they walked back into the Homicide bullpen. There were still flakes of snow on both of their coats, which Rick was deftly trying to brush off. Kate had taken to combing her fingers through her hair, tugging at the knots that were tied up from the wind.

"You know," Rick started, "I don't mind the snow. In fact, I love the snow. But this wind? It's just too much. There should be a law against it."

Walking in front of him, Kate rolled her eyes. "Alright then Superstar, why don't you go take that up with Mother Nature? I'm sure Judge Markaway would be happy to help write it all up."

He grinned with child-like glee. "You think?"

Rather than stringing the conversation along Kate ducked answering his question. They had reached her desk, tossing their coats onto their chairs, when Ryan walked up.

"Got the information on the other vet." He held his pad in his hand. "Robert Nolan, age fifty three. When Jeanine was doing her residency he was her mentor, and eventually took her on as a partner. Looks like after Jeanine had built up enough good relationships with patients, she left, opened her own practice. And get this," he looked up to both Beckett and Castle, "almost all of Nolan's patients went with her. The guy was left with next to nothing."

Beckett leaned back in her desk chair, absently clicking a pen in thought. She eyed her detective with curiosity, taking in the information. "Does he have a record?"

Ryan's jewel-tone blue eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Oh yea! The guy's got priors for violent tendencies. He even had his license suspended for three months about two years ago for verbally assaulting clients. He's also been reported by several of his staff to occasionally raise angry fits in his office. Esposito found a statement filed by one of his nurses – said she couldn't allow herself to keep working with a 'vicious animal' like Dr. Nolan."

Beckett continued to rock back and forth in her chair, letting the details line up in her head like dominos. All she had to do was find the right one to push and the whole thing would collapse. This Dr. Nolan was looking more and more likely to be that key to toppling the line.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Castle spoke up from where he was standing behind her chair.

"Speaking of our dear friend Javier, where is he?" There was a playful lift to his eyebrow, which did not go unnoticed by either Beckett or Ryan. The latter instantly picked up on his insinuation and ran with it.

"I can't be one-hundred percent sure…" his lips curled upwards, "but it seems that our boy has a newfound infatuation with dead bodies…if you know what I mean." Neither man laughed out loud, but inside they were cracking up.

The two turned to look at Kate. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you Beckett?" Ryan flicked his pad back and forth between his fingers. Someone had to know what was going on, and the medical examiner's best friend was a likely suspect.

Kate tapped the tips of her fingers together, elbows perched on the arms of her chair. "Not a thing. A certain someone is choosing to exercise the right to remain silent."

Quick footfalls could be heard coming up the stairs. All three briefly turned their heads to see Esposito, clearly in his own world, trotting back up to where he belonged. There was a far away look in his eyes, and lightness in the way he carried himself. And…Kate was pretty sure she recognized the shade of lip-gloss smudged on his cheek.

Ryan, Beckett, and Castle looked back to each other, sharing a suspicious look.

"Well, I think that answers that." Castle smirked, while Beckett and Ryan simply shook their heads.

Kate sat up straight at her desk and took a look at her watch. She sighed. 'Alright, it's after five now, so there's no chance of catching him at his office. Ryan, call Nolan in the morning, and let him know to be expecting a visit. There's nothing else we can do on this tonight."

Ryan tipped his pad at her. "You got it." He turned back to go to his own desk, fully aware that Esposito wasn't going to notice his presence.

Beckett stood from her chair, pulling her coat back on. "Ready to go Castle?"

"What?" He looked shocked. "You actually want to leave before seven o'clock?"

"You heard me, there's nothing else we can do tonight. Besides, I believe we have a date with your daughter."

He tilted his head in that way that she thought was adorable. It was like he was a puppy hearing the shake of the cookie jar.

"Well then," he said, holding out his hand to her, "what are we still doing here?"

She smiled – a smile only he could conjure up. Reaching out, she laced their fingers together, forgetting their gloves. His hand would be warm enough for her.

They passed the boys' desks and stopped.

"Hey you two." Kate turned before they made it to the turn heading to the elevator. "We're having a little party Friday night."

"You think you can make it?" Rick finished the question for her. He saw the look Ryan gave him when he lifted his head from his paperwork.

Apparently Kate did too. "Yes, Ryan, Jenny can come too. I'm looking forward to meeting her again."

Ryan grinned, grateful to have his friends include his girlfriend. "We'll be there. What time?"

"Around eight-ish sound good for you?"

"Perfect."

Kate and Rick turned to Esposito. "What about you?" Rick lifted his chin to his friend. He looked as if their question had disturbed some precious thought.

"Oh? Yeah. Yeah, I'll be there."

"Awesome!" He turned with Kate to the elevator, calling behind him. "See you guys tomorrow!"

* * *

One car trip, two elevator rides, twenty of minutes of arguing over dinner, and thirty minutes of waiting later, Rick, Kate and Alexis were gathered comfortably at the kitchen island.

It was a low-key meal. They had argued around ordering Chinese or Thai, going to try the new diner around the corner, or actually cooking for themselves before they gave up and settled on ordering a pizza. It had been easier, and more convenient for clean up, to just park at the counter and use paper plates and cups.

It was one of those nights where no one wanted to deal with dishes.

Currently, Kate and Alexis were seated beside each other on barstools, while Rick was leaning over the other side of the counter, a slice of double cheese pizza in his hand.

"So what's going on with the case?" Alexis turned to Kate after taking a careful bite out of her slice.

"Well," Kate chose her words carefully as she took a sip from her can of Coke, "right now we know that our victim left behind a disgruntled mentor when she started her own practice, and she kind of stole all of his patients."

Rick huffed. "Disgruntled? I'd say he's closer to being royally pissed off."

"Dad?" Alexis shot her father a 'watch-your-mouth' look.

"Sorry." He held up his hands in defense. "Just being honest." When he looked at her, Rick saw Kate staring intently at her piece of pizza. "Kate, I think you can take your eyes off the pizza. Pretty sure it's not going to get up and walk away."

She looked up, and cocked her head, her brow furrowed. "Being honest," she whispered."

Father and daughter reacted at the same time. "What?"

"You said you were just being honest."

"Yea." He peered at her, thrown back with confusion. "What are you saying?"

Alexis picked up the question, seeing Kate still thinking about that. "I think she means that there has to be some secret in all of this. Why else would a person like your victim get killed? She had a normal life, good family. So…" she looked to Kate for confirmation, "…there has to be something she's hiding."

Kate reached over and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I think I should start bringing you to the precinct instead of your father." Alexis tossed her father a grin.

"Hey," he held his chest in upset, "I'm the one who said 'just being honest'. I'll have you know," he looked to his daughter, "I happen to be very helpful," he turned back to his girlfriend, "she just refuses to admit it."

With a laugh Kate picked up her pizza to take another bite. "Relax Rick, I'm just playing with you." She nudged Alexis' side. "He's a really easy mark."

The girl giggled. "Don't I know it?" The two ladies continued to laugh, as best they could through mouthfuls of cheesy, tomato-ey goodness.

Instead of making a smart comment, Rick chose to enjoy the site. Forgetting about himself, he was eternally grateful to Kate for what she brought to Alexis. Someone to look up to, talk to. Someone she could confide in when she needed a woman's perspective.

None of his previous girlfriends had ever been able to do that.

"Hey Alexis?"

"Hmm?" She looked up at him with those wide baby blue eyes that he could loose himself in. He smiled, reached a hand over to wipe a strand of cheese from her chin.

"I-we, have something to tell you."

"Yes?" Alexis couldn't help but feel a little jumpy. She loved that her father had found Kate to be more than just a friend. They got along so well, Alexis knew that even if her dad weren't around, Kate would still be willing to be there for her.

Rick and Kate looked at each other, gauging who would be the one to say it. Kate laid her hand over Alexis'. "Your dad asked me if I'd move in with you guys." Her voice was just a hair above a whisper. And Alexis could tell the detective was…scared?

Now that was irony. The woman hunted down murderers for a living and the one thing that knocked her off kilter was a teenage girl.

"He did?" More and more of her teeth started to show. She looked from Kate to her dad. "You did?"

Rick laughed, admittedly, a little uneasily. "Yea, I did." He paused, eyeing her. "Is that...okay with you?"

"Okay," she was positively ecstatic, "That's fantastic dad!" A look of realization flashed across her features and she jumped back to looking at Kate, "What, uh…what did you say?"

Kate saw the hint of fear in her eyes and couldn't help but laugh. Toying with her fork, she spoke through a smile that mirrored Rick's. "I said yes Alexis."

The girl screamed and threw her arms around Kate's neck. "Oh Kate! This is so exciting! You're gonna be here all the time, and I can talk to you whenever I need to, and you'll get to do holidays with us, and parties, and you'll be here for birthdays-"

Kate thought she was going to fall over the other side of the chair. "Alexis, calm down. Yea, I'm going to be here for everything. But if you don't give me a little room, I might suffocate and then none of that will ever happen."

Alexis' face was flushed pink with glee when she settled back into her own chair. She was still smiling. "Sorry about that."

Rick was laughing all in his own rite from opposite the counter. "Sweetie, I'm just as excited as you are, but I think we should try to not scare her away, make her change her mind."

The three of them were still having little bouts of laughter when Alexis popped up in her chair again.

"Kate! I just have to tell you about Valentine's Day!"

Rick turned to drop his plate in the trash, leaving his can on the counter to be recycled. "I think that's my cue to leave." He came around, placing one hand on each of their backs, and giving them both a kiss on the head. "You ladies enjoy your conversation. I think I'll break from chocolate and flowers to try and do some writing."

Kate looked at him over her shoulder. "Maybe you should stay, take some notes. Valentine's Day is only a week away…"

"Oh believe me, Detective, I have my own plans for that day. You have nothing," he gave her a peck on her temple, "to worry about."

They watched him enter his office before Kate motioned for Alexis to keep talking.

"He wants to take me out to Coney Island, spend the day doing just general carnival stuff, you know?"

"That sounds so sweet. My favorite part of Coney Island was always the Ferris wheel. I used to ride it over and over, just because I loved being able to see the city from the top."

Alexis stood from the island to throw out her trash. "I think it's cute. We didn't want to do anything that would require either of us spending too much money, so we agreed that going there could be romantic and fun, but not totally annihilate our allowances."

Kate joined her in cleaning up. "I think that sounds like a very wise decision." When they finished she leaned against the countertop, one hand braced on her hip. "To be completely honest, I'm a little afraid of what your dad is going to come up with."

"You wouldn't think it, but believe it or not, Dad does know how to do subtle. And," Alexis mirrored Kate's stance, "he knows you, and he knows what you like. Trust me, it'll be perfect."

Kate stepped over, put her arm around Alexis' shoulders. "Come on. It's getting late."

"Yea," Alexis yawned, "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"I'll see you in the morning then." Kate wrapped the teen in a hug before sending her upstairs. Turning, she saw that the door to Rick's office was open.

She yawned herself, then walked over to see what he was up to.

When she opened the door the rest of the way, she found him sitting at his desk, feet up, laptop perched on his knees.

"Hey," she said, leaning on the doorframe.

"Hey," he looked up, "I was just jotting down some notes for Nikki."

"Well then," she stepped to put her arms around him from behind, looking over his shoulder, "who am I to interrupt?" She nuzzled her head to his cheek. "I just wanted to let you know that I was going to go to bed a little early. We're going to go talk to Nolan first thing in the morning."

"Alright," he tapped at a couple of keys, saving what he had written.

"That means don't stay up until two AM if you want to come with me."

He let out a little laugh. "I won't." He ran his hand over hers, resting on his chest. "Promise."

"Uh huh," she pulled away and moved to leave. Before she stepped out of the room, she leaned back in. "I'll remember that when the alarm goes off and you whine."

"I do not 'whine'. I complain with long syllables."

As was typical, Kate stared him down, and turned to go to bed.

Rick watched as she moved to head for what was now their bedroom. Everything about her just captured his attention. There was no stopping it, no matter how hard he tried – not that he really wanted to. She was one of the few people, aside from Alexis, who he would allow to tease him without him getting frustrated or fighting back.

And the way she was when she was with Alexis, well, he knew that he wanted to see them both everyday. He was so grateful that Alexis accepted her moving in. Though, he would've bet money on the outcome.

Rick smiled, musing over their gossiping when he left the room. The two best parts of his life perfectly fitting.

And now he was going to get to have it just that way, every day of every week, of every month, of what he hoped would amount to every year of the rest of his life.

* * *

_Look at me! Less than a week has gone by and I got an update up! Yay! Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I love hearing the feedback. It makes for good motivation. _

_I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! _

_Tappin_


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning went precisely as Kate predicted it would.

Being an early riser, she woke at five thirty, immediately hauling her half-awake self into the shower. As much as she loved Rick, and loved sharing the shower, she preferred the solidarity the mornings brought. Alone, she could take the shower exactly how she liked it.

Piping hot, a searing one hundred and one degrees.

Rick always told her that one day she was going to boil her organs. She didn't care.

As the steam rose in ribbons, threading and coating her body. The heat soaked through to her bones, waking up her system. Taking her sweet time, she drew shampoo-covered fingers through her hair, lathered up her favorite cherry vanilla body wash, savoring every second of the silence.

Once the water cooled down – or her body heated up, it was always hard to tell one from another – she turned off the water, and wrapped herself in a towel. Her feet were still wet when she padded across the wood floors to the bed. In one swift move, still keeping her distance, she yanked back the covers.

She should've bet him money on what happened.

In the blink of an eye Rick was skittering backwards on this elbows and knees. "Jesus Christ Kate! What the hell did you do that for?" His voice had skipped an octave, and a setting or two on the volume dial.

Kate braced her hands on her hips, fighting a smile.

"I told you we were going out early to catch Nolan at his office. Now, you're welcome to stay here, but if that's the way you want to play I'm banishing you for the rest of the day too."

Rick's breathing evened out from the initial shock of being exposed to the cold air in their room. "You're kidding."

"You want to try me?"

For a few seconds they stared each other down. Rick trying to gauge whether or not she was messing with him, or serious. Kate, was making it damn hard for him to read her, succeeding.

"What time is it?" He sighed.

"Six. I'm leaving in a half an hour to be at the vet's office by seven. I want to catch him before anyone can sidetrack him." Kate turned on a heel and began to gather clothes from her closet. She continued to speak over her shoulder. "You coming along for the ride is strictly up to you. If you want to come," she smirked, "get moving and be at the door when I leave."

Before he could even utter a reply, Kate had disappeared back into the bathroom. Rick heard the sound of the blow dryer start up, and imagined her brushing those long chocolate waves.

He stayed curled up at the end of the bed, weighing his options. Option one: he could, as she put it, get moving and be downstairs to go interview the vet, and subsequently, follow through on the rest of what the day would throw his detective's way. Option two: he could stay where he was, sleep for at least four more hours, and give his own job a little attention.

What a dilemma.

"You know what," he turned on his side to talk to her as she came out to get dressed, "I think I'm gonna take the day here. Nikki's undoubtedly feeling neglected, as I seem to be spending more and more time with her real-life alter-ego."

Turning, she tilted a brow. "Alright, but you better actually get some work done," she wagged her finger at him, "or I will be calling Gina."

"You wouldn't."

"I would." Pause. "And you know it."

That was the truth. He did know she would call if she said she was going to. He had promised to have the first chapter of the new Nikki Heat book to Gina immediately after New Year's. Though, he claimed that he got too caught up in planning for the holidays to write.

January second, Rick walked into the kitchen to find Kate on the phone with Gina. When she held out the phone to him, he could hear Gina's yelling all the way across the room.

"Fine," he succumbed, "this evening there will be two more chapters, at least, for your viewing."

Through their little argument, Kate had pulled on a sleek black pinstripe suit over a royal purple turtleneck. She was looking for her black boots when she turned around.

"Correction, for Alexis to view." She found the pair, stepped around the bed to his side. She leaned over when he gave her a confused look. "You should know by now, Mr. Castle, that I will only read your books complete and bound."

He reached up, cupping the back of her head and pulling her down further. His mouth covered hers in passion. When he pulled back, he saw nothing but love in her eyes.

"I do. I just like to tempt you."

She gave him a small shove; just enough to send him back down to the mattress before heading for the door.

"I'll be checking in on you."

"I'll be waiting for the call."

Kate laughed. "Get some writing done, I'll see you tonight."

When she had shut the door, and he had heard her footfalls reach the bottom of the stairs. Rick leaned up against the headboard, lacing his fingers together behind his head.

Oh, he was going to write today. The question was, how on earth was he going to organize a crime scene, when all he could think about was racing down the stairs, and hauling his favorite detective back up to their room.

Detective Beckett pulled up to Robert Nolan's office at seven o'clock on the dot. The timing was impeccable, as she could see the doctor just pulling up himself across the parking lot. She stepped out of her Crown Vic, positioning herself right at the door.

Nolan approached, with a sour look on his pasty face. "What do you want?"

The badge came up in her hand. "Detective Kate Becket, NYPD. I need to ask you a few questions."

The man reached around her, unlocking the door. "Look," he sighed, "I took the classes, I took the time off, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Dr. Nolan, I'm not here because of you. I need to ask you some questions about Jeanine Michaels."

Beckett noticed there was a flash of anger across his face, coupled with a growing irritation for her presence.

"That backstabbing bitch? Why should I care?"

She nodded towards his open practice. "Care to take this inside?"

Nolan heaved a breath, ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, follow me." He lead her through a weaving maze of waiting rooms, exam rooms, kennels, and storage closets before coming to his personal office in a back corner of the building.

"Alright, Detective." He sunk down into his desk chair, placing his briefcase on the floor with a thud, and motioned for her to sit. "What do you need to know about Jeanine?"

"Well, for one, you can start by telling me why you call her a 'backstabbing bitch'."

Nolan began to rock his chair back and forth. "I met Jeanine right when she graduated from vet school. She was young, bright, ambitious. Everything a guy could ask for when he was looking for an apprentice."

"So, you took her on here?"

He nodded. "Sure did, gave her her first real taste of what it was like in this profession. Taught her the business, held her hand, you could say. But she had other plans." He paused. "Oh, Jeanine had her own plans."

"How do you mean?"

"The second she decided that she didn't need me anymore she was gone. Left my place, started her own practice. Took seventy-five percent of my clients too. All this she planned and did, right under my own nose." He leaned across his desk, folding his hands in a mound. "So like I told you before, Detective, she's a backstabbing bitch."

Beckett eyed him, gave him a minute to think before continuing. "Dr. Nolan, you have quite a rap sheet."

The doctor sighed yet again, leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. "Detective, I've had anger issues since I was a child. I've been to every existing support group, tried every twelve step program out there. I lost myself once," he stressed, "once, with a client, and I paid the price." He looked at her again. "So, why exactly are you here?"

"We'll get to that. I need to ask you, where were you Sunday night, say between nine and two AM?"

"Why would you need to know that?" There was a shift in his tone, from irritation to a panic.

"Dr. Nolan, Monday morning Jeanine Michaels was found murdered in her office."

"And you think I did it!" Beads of sweat were forming along his brow and the collar of his pressed white shirt.

"I need to investigate every possible scenario Dr. Nolan. So, I'm going to ask you again, where were you?"

"I was, I was attending my niece's wedding at the Waldorf. I left the reception at, I guess around midnight? Then I was playing cards with my brothers in the lounge until, three AM? Maybe a little earlier?"

"Thank you Dr. Nolan. I'll be in touch."

She didn't allow the vet to respond before she stood and left his office.

Hours later, and Kate was still stuck riding her desk. Calls had been made to Nolan's brothers, corroborating that he was indeed at his niece Michelle's wedding, and did, in fact, play cards, paired with several glasses of Brandy, until two forty-five AM. She looked into old employees of Jeanine's. She even ran down names of clients whose pets had died under Jeanine's care.

All without a single pop.

Deciding that it was time for a short break before staring at the board again, Kate stood and brought her mug to the break room. It was then, standing on the threshold to access to caffeine, that she heard it.

Giggling.

Muted whispers and giggling.

She felt like a voyeur, leaning close to the door to discern the voices. Though she had a sneaking suspicion that she already knew. Footsteps inched closer to the door; she jumped back, setting up as if she was just walking in.

The door flew open, Lanie stepping out with a grin.

"Lanie?"

There was only a moment's pause in her steps, before Lanie turned to her. Her fingers fluttered in a wave, and there was a far away look in her eyes. "Hey, Kate."

Kate was left with her mouth agape, watching her friend turn to leave. When she finally regained her mental composure and entered the break room, she found Detective Javier Esposito sitting at the table, chin in his hand, and that same far away look in his eyes.

It was best, she decided, not to go there. Instead of stepping into treacherous territory, Kate simply filled her mug – thankfully there was already coffee prepared – spun on her heel, and left.

By the time her mug was empty, only a few drops of cold coffee remaining, Kate was leaning, hips against her desk, staring at the white plain of the murder board.

"Hey, I looked into her background like you asked," Ryan had come up to stand next to her, taking his own look at the board, "there is absolutely no suspicious activity. She got pulled once for speeding, when she was seventeen, and that's it.

"Okay," she scrubbed her hands over her face, through her hair. "Thanks, Ryan."

"No prob. I'm going to go grab a bite, and head over to check out the scene again. Maybe something will jump out at me."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed." She nodded with a sigh as she watched him step away.

Kate was so deep in thought that the rest of the room fell away.

"I'm thinking you could use a break."

The familiar voice snapped her focus. Sure enough, she wasn't imaging it, and when she turned her head, there he was.

That face that could just look at her and make her insides melt.

"I thought we established that you were banished to your office today?" She was cut off by the warmth of his mouth finding hers. It took every muscle of her brain to stay focused, and not let him get away with making her forget. With a firm hand she pushed his chest, separating them. "Did you get any writing done?"

"Why, yes, in fact, I did. Three whole chapters and the outline of a fourth." He cocked his eyebrow. "Would you like to call Gina and ask her? I emailed it all to her about an hour ago."

"No. No, that's okay. I'm going to trust you on this one." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Rough day?"

"I wouldn't say 'rough', so much as 'uneventful'. Nolan was a bust, and Jeanine's record is as clean as can be. This case just doesn't make any sense."

"Well," he rubbed his hand up and down her back, "why don't we step away from it for a bit? I was thinking we could walk over to the park, maybe grab a hot dog?"

"Sure," she nodded, "that sounds good."

In minutes she had her coat on, scarf around her neck, and they were walking down, arm in arm, to Central Park. They paused at a cart, Rick ordering their lunch, then moved further into the greenery, finding a bench to park themselves on.

"I just don't get it." Kate started in between bites. "She was a perfectly normal woman. Smart, respectable, loving family. Her sister, and her nurse, by the way, said she lived for her family. I thought that Nolan would've been the key, but his alibi is rock solid. And he knows way too much about his own issues to let them get the best of him."

Rick took in what she said, nodded her way. "Well, there has to be an answer. Some secret, like you and Alexis were talking about last night. Where would a good wife, doctor, mother, hide her dirty laundry?"

"Castle, what are you getting at here?"

"Her family. You said she lived for her family. Would she be willing to die for them? Whatever she was hiding had to have something to do with them."

Kate sighed, shifted her legs so that she could lean into Rick more comfortably. "I'll talk to the husband one more time. See if he might know anything."

He took a glance at his watch. "Almost one thirty now. I bet his son's school gets out at two. We could go over there and see if we can find him."

"I think that sounds like a good idea. But, let's just enjoy the park for a few more minutes.

And enjoy they did. The two simply sat, basking in the sun, being brushed by the cool breeze passing through.

"Oh!" Rick reached into his pocket. "I have something for you. Had it made this morning before I came over to the precinct." He sat up so that he could fully look at her. In his hand, lay a bright, shiny, silver key, on a keychain depicting the _Heat Wave_ cover. "Your key."

She smiled, taking it from him to add to her own key ring. She leaned in, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you. I could think of a thousand key chains that I'd like better, but I guess this way I'll never forget what it's for." Now was his turn to roll his eyes, as he pulled her back into his side.

"Rick?" Her eyes stayed focused on the fountain until he answered.

"Mhmm?"

"You know I love you right?" Kate looked up, meeting his brilliant blue eyes.

In response, he pressed a kiss to her head. "Of course I do. Why am I suddenly concerned for what you're going to say?"

She could hear the trepidation in his voice, and reached up to cup his cheek. "No, no! Don't be. I just- I just wanted to remind you, I would never keep secrets from you."

He smiled, relieved. "Kate, you should know, it's been a long, long time since I've trusted anyone as much as I trust you."

A smile peeked its way onto her face.

"And," he added, "you should also know, that the only secrets I would ever keep from you would be those related to birthdays, anniversaries, and other events of the like."

Kate wrapped her arms around his middle. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

They laughed, as they could only in this company. Settling back into the bench, Rick rested his chin atop her head, content to memorize every second of the moment.

* * *

_Hiya! How was everyone's new year? I hope it was great! Now that there's new Castle, I feel much more compelled to write! I'm also back at school, praying that I'll be able to give you another update by the weekend! Keep your fingers crossed! _

_Thank you, everyone who's been reading and reviewing. You're awesome! _

_Tappin  
__=)_


	10. Chapter 10

They arrived at Public School 199 just as the afternoon bell was ringing. Children, almost immediately, flooded out of the double doors and out into the front grounds. Some ran straight to parents or busses, others over to the playground to wait. Laughter and screams filled the air, colorful jackets and backpacks created a whirlwind rainbow moving over the grass.

Beckett and Castle stood against her Crown Vic, parked perfectly between two minivans. They scanned the array of little heads, looking for Jake.

Beside her, Kate felt Rick perk up.

"Hey! He's right there! On the monkey bars. See him?"

She almost laughed at how amused he sounded she responded, "Yes, I can see him. You keep your eye on him; don't let him get out of your sight. And…try to resist the urge to run over and join him, will 'ya?"

While he was keeping his eye on the little boy who had shown him his legos, Beckett was searching the crowd of parents, trying to find where that little boy would eventually be running off to. Her search ended when the boy's father came up to her.

"Detective? What are you doing here?"

Out of the corner of her eye she noted that Rick was still eagerly watching Jake. She shoved her hands into her coat pockets and turned towards the concerned father.

"Mr. Michaels, I'm afraid I have a rather tough question to ask you."

He sighed, dragged a hand through his hair. Kate noticed that he looked as if he hadn't slept in years. "Well, whatever I can do to help. But Jake has an appointment with a child therapist. He hasn't really connected the fact that Jeanine isn't coming home yet, he keeps asking me. I want to make sure he gets the help that he needs."

"I absolutely understand that. I assure you this will only take a minute or two."

"Alright," he sighed again, frustrated with life, "what do you need?"

"Was there anything you and Jeanine had fought about? Anything she might have kept from you?"

His already pale face flashed a nervous white, a streak of darkness burst through his eyes. "Really," he stressed, "really early on in our marriage, we had a fight. I don't even remember what it was about it was so stupid. But it turned into one of those huge blow-ups and we were apart for two weeks. I was off promoting a new product for my company, and when I got back we had this big heart to heart. I think it was just all the nerves of all the changes getting to us. She apologized to me, and I apologized to her….you can imagine?"

Kate nodded.

"And, then it was shortly after that that we found out about Jake."

"Thank you Mr. Michaels. I apologize for making you go through that again."

"Don't worry about it, Detective. I just, I just want to get this all behind us. I need to be able to move on, and so does Jake."

"I'm sorry for cutting in, but," Rick leaned over Kate, his hand pointed in the boy's direction, "can you tell me who that man is?"

Three pairs of eyes shifted to see a man, roughly the same age as Evan Michaels, with his hands around Jake's waist, guiding him over the dome of the monkey bars.

"Oh, that's Mr. Dempsey, Jake's teacher. He's been really good to Jake, well, he's really good to all of his students." Kate noticed him watching his son with a loving eye. Concern for his boy leaked through Mr. Michaels' voice. "But at the beginning of the year he noticed that Jake was having a harder time with his reading than most kids, so he's been letting us bring Jake in early for some one on one time."

Kate nodded, keeping a careful gaze out.

Dempsey caught Beckett's eye, and there was something in his that didn't sit right with her. He smiled, and she saw him bend to say something to Jake. His little head spun around, a grin beaming from his little tan face. Dempsey lifted him off, putting his feet on the ground. The teacher picked up his backpack, and helped Jake thread his arms through.

As soon as he could, Jake was bursting away and running at full speed toward his father.

"Daddy!"

Jake leapt into Evan's open arms the instant he was within reach. For a minute, Rick and Kate watched as father and son were wrapped in each other.

"What are we gonna do today, Daddy?" There was excitement in his voice that hurt Kate's heart to hear. Rick noticed her tighten, and let his hand come to rest on her arm, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

"We're gonna take a little trip, Buddy. There's a lady I want you to meet. She's gonna talk to you about some things, okay?"

The little boy nodded, ruffling his hair.

"If you'll excuse me, Detective, Mr. Castle, we'll just be going."

"Thank you Mr. Michaels." She would've extended her hand to shake his, but between his own briefcase, and his son's hand, there wasn't one free. "I'll let you know as soon as something comes up."

He nodded his appreciation, turning to walk down the sidewalk.

With a sigh of her own Kate leaned back against the car. Rick pressed his body up next to hers, ready to blame the wind should she question it.

"A big fight, separated for two weeks, and right after that you find out you're pregnant. That's a very short time frame to have a fight, break up, and get back together before you have a baby. Don't you think?" Kate watched the shrinking bunch of children playing in the front of the school as she thought.

"Hmm." Rick stepped away from the car, kicking mindlessly at a rock on the sidewalk. "If you were having an affair would you tell your sister?"

"Castle, I don't have a sister."

"But would you?" He paused. "If you did? Like you said, that's an awfully short amount of time."

Their eyes met, agreeing on the theory without words. Kate flipped out her phone and hit the speed dial. As she spoke, she was walking around to get back in her car.

"Esposito? Yea, can you pull up the address of the Elizabeth Singer's firm for me? I want to pay her a little visit."

Rick turned his head to look out the passenger-side window. Over the bouncing heads of children, his eyes met those of a teacher, and a shudder ran down his spine.

"Thanks, Esposito. If it gets to end of shift and I'm not back, you and Ryan just head home. I'll fill you in tomorrow."

Closing her phone, she looked at Rick. "Ready to go." He was pulled away from his window.

"Yeah," he reached for her hand as she pulled into traffic, "yeah, let's go."

"Detective?" Elizabeth singer stood from her desk chair the moment Beckett's boot crossed the threshold between the wooden-floored hallway, and her carpeted office. There was a streak of panic on her face, a flush to her cheeks, a sense of displacement in her eyes. Her hands were pale and shaking when she smoothed down the front of her suit.

"I told my admin to send you straight up whenever you needed me. Did you find something out? Did you arrest someone?" She motioned for them to sit in the pair of chairs taking up space in front of her desk.

Castle followed just a step behind as they walked further into the office. It was exactly what he would've imagined for a woman like Elizabeth. It was sharp, streamlined for a strong lawyer's place of business. But the colors were soft, warm browns and tans. There were family photos displayed alongside the degrees, much like in her sister's office. The chairs that they moved to were of thick faux suede, in a dark chocolate brown.

Beckett ran her hand over the carved wooden arm of the chair before perching herself on the edge. She hated moments like this. When she had to throw someone's family down from the peak of hopefulness.

"No, Miss Singer. I'm afraid I don't really have much more to tell you right now. But I do have a question-"

"Anything." She snapped. "Anything for Jeanine."

"Miss Singer," she clicked the tip of her pen in preparation, a part of her afraid at what the answer to the question would be, "this is a hard one. You might be offended, or put off by this question, but I have to ask it anyway." She noticed, with a heavy heart, the sunken look to Elizabeth's face. Her fingers had ceased their rapping against the desk's edge, and were not stiffly wrapped around the arms of the chair. "Had your sister had an affair?"

A very noticeable lump caught in Elizabeth's throat. Her eyes focused on the opposite wall, as they watched her mind shoot in five different tangents. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"Do you think you can tell me when? Or who it was?"

She swallowed. With difficulty, Castle noticed. "Elizabeth," he started calmly, in his best fatherly tone, "it's okay to tell us. You haven't done anything wrong. And whatever you say can only help Jeanine now."

There was only a second's hesitation before the name squeaked out. "It was with Ronald Dempsey." She cleared her throat. "It was when she and Evan were split up for a couple of weeks, right after they got married. She had run into him in a bar, they went to high school together, you see? So, he made her feel good again. For, I guess, a week? Yeah, for about a week she was with him, a lot, you know what I mean." They nodded. Kate scribbled down a couple of notes. "And then she had some sort of revelation and told him to leave her alone. I think she had a hard time shaking him too."

"Thank you Elizabeth." Kate stood to offer her hand. "You've been very helpful. I'm hoping to have some real news for you very shortly."

"Thank you, Detective. I don't think I could've asked for anyone better to stand up for my sister."

Beckett smiled; humble to know that she was appreciated. It happened all too often, where victims' families got angry with her for either not doing her job fast enough, or asking the wrong questions, or, in their mind, insulting their loved one.

Glancing at her watch she noticed how late it was getting. She turned to look at Castle, still planted in front of Elizabeth's desk. "It's getting late, we should get back, fill in the guys."

He nodded, offered her his arm. It took a moment's pause, but Kate switched her belongings to the other arm, and looped her right arm through his left, and moved for the door.

With a sad, yet satisfied expression, Elizabeth Singer watched them go.

"There is no way that it's just a coincidence."

"I'm strongly inclined to agree, especially considering the way he looked at us earlier. But there's not much we can do about it right now. It's long past school hours." She pulled out her phone as they got on the elevator, typing away at the keys.

Kate rocked on her heels, watching the numbers in the elevator go down, "I texted Ryan with the details, and told him we'd go get Dempsey tomorrow."

"Are we gonna go to the school?" Rick raised his eyebrow.

" I was thinking we could pop in on his lunch break. When there are no kids around."

He pulled her into his side, loving the way she perfectly fit in the crook of his arm and shoulder. "Sounds like a plan to me." He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, just above her ear. "So, Alexis has a date tonight, looks like we're on our own for dinner."

Kate turned to face him. Thinking she knew him, she searched his eyes for suggestions of certain escapades. She found herself, happily, wrong.

"Any ideas?" Obviously he knew her well, and tilted his head her way.

"I was, um, kind of hoping maybe we could scrounge up some boxes? We could head over to my place, and order a pizza or something. I wanted to start packing. Somehow, even though I lost a lot in the explosion, I managed to accumulate a massive amount of stuff." She paused to press her head to his neck. "Packing it all up is definitely not a one-woman job. You think you know anyone who could help?"

He smirked, running a contemplative finger over his chin. "I think I just might."

The elevator rang their landing on the ground floor. Stepping out, Kate felt his fingers grip the fabric of the side of her long red coat, grateful for the bit of warmth she knew was there as they exited back out into the chill.

* * *

_Honestly, this is not my favorite chapter. And I think it's because it's straight murder. But have no fear! There is fluff coming up! Hopefully by Sunday night or Monday, provided I deal with all the school things I need to deal with. I hope everyone's enjoying it!_

_BTW, what'd you think of the murder twist? Good? No good? Tell me how you feel about whatever!_

_Hope everyone's as excited as I am for 'Knockdown'!_

_**Tappin**_


	11. Chapter 11

In a fit of laughter Kate and Rick stumbled through the doorway to her apartment. Between the two of them they juggled flattened boxes, rolls of tape, and a package of sharpies, fully intent on making a crater in the packing that needed to be done.

The supplies were dropped on the floor in a huff and the two shed their coats and gloves. Rick motioned to Kate's bedroom. "Why don't you change? Get more comfortable and I'll call and order us a pizza."

"Hmm." Kate pursed her lips, perfectly content with the offer. She gracefully stepped into her room to grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, listening to Rick call in an order for a large cheese pizza with extra sauce. Just hearing it made her mouth water.

When she came back out into the living area Rick was taping up boxes, lining them up side by side in front of the bar between the living room and kitchen. With soft, socked steps she moved right past him and into the kitchen to pull out some cleaner and dust rags from underneath the sink.

"How long did they say?" She called as she took out two glasses for wine.

"Oh," she heard him moving around her living room, "about thirty minutes or so. Ready to get started?"

She was leaning against the countertop, sipping a rose red wine from a long-stemmed glass. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, loose tendrils hanging down around her ears, just kissing her cheeks. "I was thinking we'd start in the living room? I'll get Lanie to help me with my bedroom this weekend."

"Afraid of what I'll find in your drawers, Detective?" Oh, how his eyes could sparkle when he teased her.

She put the glass to rest on the tabletop and sauntered over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Mmm," she mused, "I think you should be the one afraid of what you'll find." Her lower lip disappeared between her teeth. With a swish she turned to her entertainment center.

Rick stuttered nonsense sounds before coming to his senses and joining Kate's seated position in front of the cabinets.

"First things first, Castle. You start pulling out DVDs, I'll work on music." They nodded the go-ahead, each reaching to start their respective assignments.

Rick pulled out cases, some purchased straight from the store, some copies in paper sleeves or black plastic cases. He noticed she had quite a variety. There, stacked next to him on the floor, waiting to be put in a box, were:

_The Complete Star Wars Trilogy, Shrek, Spider Man_ (1,2, and 3)_, Young Frankenstein, Funny Girl, Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Alien, _and a myriad of other films from every genre imaginable.

"Kate, you have the most astounding taste in movies. I do believe your collection will fit seamlessly into ours." He fingered the titles on the cases. "We may even end up with a few doubles."

He leaned back to stretch his legs out in front of him, finding her knee deep in CDs, cassettes and vinyl.

"Whoa! Got a few choices there?"

She laughed. "Hey," she pointed an accusatory finger, "as you can notice, I tend to like a lot of different things. I've got some classics here, Sinatra, Billy Joel, Elton John, even some Elvis, I think. STYX, Journey, soundtracks from shows I've seen. I have a few collections of classical pieces here, too. I always loved listening to symphonies and concertos when I was a kid. I still turn them on every once in a while, they relax me." She shrugged. "And most of these records belonged to my parents." She held up a copy of _The 2000 Year Old Man_, which had been resting on top of a stack of Bill Cosby records. "My dad loved comedy. I think I very well might have _Tonsils_ memorized."

Rick smiled, watching her remember pieces of her childhood. "Then, it's a good thing you have a turntable, because we're definitely going to have to play these some time."

They stood to put what they had taken out into a box. Kate was just piling in the last cassette when the doorbell rang. "Oh!" Rick jumped over a box. "I'll get it!" Laughing, she shook her head, though, she had to admit, it was cute when he got so excited.

She heard him take the box, put it on the counter, pay the delivery boy. Her mind wandered. They had had nights like this before…sort of. They would come back here after her shift, order dinner, and just relax. Sometimes they would watch a movie or TV. Other times they would just sit and talk. And occasionally, if she had a rough day, he would just settle down in her bed with her, content to just hold her for a while.

He emerged holding two plates with steaming slices of cheese pizza. Kate motioned him to the couch, and closed up the lid to the box. She snatched one of the sharpies from the table and labeled it - 'Movies/Music'.

She sighed, and sat down on the floor beside Rick's legs. Biting into the warm cheese and spicy tomatoes she moaned in pleasure. "Thanks." She managed with a full mouth. "I was starving."

Rick ate with one hand, letting the other tug gently on her ponytail. "Hey, thanks for letting me help you with this."

Kate licked a drip of sauce off her thumb, looked up at him with a mildly confused expression. "What do you mean, 'thanks'?"

"Well…" he folded his hands together, "I just mean…this is you. Like…all of you. And, it means a lot to me for you to let me help."

Kate reached up and put her hand on top of his. "Rick, look at me. You're right. This," she put an open palm to her apartment, "is what I am. But that's not it. Part of me, is me, because of you and Alexis. I wouldn't be the same without you."

She watched as Rick stood from the couch and stepped over her legs. He moved over to her bookshelf, began dragging his finger along the edges of picture frames. She had a lot of pictures, on her shelves, on her walls. His eyes glanced over a picture of the two of them with Ryan, Esposito, Jenny and Lanie from some party he had hosted. He froze altogether when he got to a picture in a brushed silver frame.

The picture was black and white, from when she was a child. Maybe eight or nine, he judged from the picture. She was all bundled up in a snowsuit, complete with fuzzy mittens and hat. Her father must have been chasing her around the yard, because in the shot he had grabbed her around the waist, while her head tipped back in laughter. Little Kate's hands were braced on her dad's arms, while her cheeks were caught in her mom's hands. Johanna was leaning over Jim's back, laughing right along with her daughter.

Rick smiled. A tight, almost sorrowful smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"That's one of my favorite pictures, you know." Kate had come up to his side, and leaned her head against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around herself. "We had gone upstate to visit my grandparents, and that was the first snowfall of that winter." He heard the happiness in her memory. He imagined he could see it, without turning to look. "My dad took me snow tubing for the first time right after this picture was taken. My mom absolutely _refused_ to go. Even with all my begging she resisted. It actually turned out to be a good thing because Dad and I came back soaking wet, and she was waiting for us with dry clothes and hot chocolate."

Rick reached an arm up, put it around her shoulders. "I'm going to find places for all of these pictures." They looked around at the memory-covered walls.

"Rick, you really don't need to worry about that. I-"

"Yes." He stopped her, reaching up to cup her chin. "I do. You said that I'm a part of who you are. Well, the same goes for me. And I want your pictures, your past, your memories, to be a part of our future."

There was a stinging at the back of Kate's eyes that she could swear wasn't there two minutes ago. Sucking in a breath, she gripped his forearms. "Thank you." She whispered. "That means a lot to me."

Not a second passed before Rick's mouth was colliding with hers. The tenderness of it dripped down to her toes and made them itch. There was nothing frantic about the kiss, at all. It was all heart. A gesture of the love and the hope that they had for each other.

Their foreheads were resting together when one of the shelves caught Rick's eye.

One hand still resting on her hip, he took down one of the brightly sleeved books, flipped it over in his hand. "I still can't believe you were able to hide this from me for so long."

"Well, I am a Detective. Don't you think it would be a little sad if I _didn't_ know how to keep secrets?"

"Yea, but still. I'm usually better about reading people over these." In his hands he held a copy of _Storm Season_. The one that she had waited in line for an hour to get signed. He had seen it before, many times, and Kate always found it funny how much it intrigued him.

"I was a lot younger when that came out. I think my hair was blonde at the time too." She crinkled her nose and eyes thinking over it.

Rick's eyes widened in shock. "Blonde?" He lifted a strand of her currently brown hair. "You mean to tell me that this used to be blonde?"

"It was a phase." She said on a laugh. "I was experimenting. At one point the blonde even had purple tips."

"You're kidding?" He put down his own novel and reached for one of her photo albums. "There must be photographic evidence of this in here somewhere."

"Keep hunting, Ace, but you're not going to find anything. I got rid of those pictures a long time ago." She had walked away to go for another bite of her pizza. Still chewing, she handed him a box. "Here, why don't you start putting those books in a box. I'll work on wrapping up dishes and glasses."

They worked separately for about a half an hour. Kate had somehow managed to get everything in her cabinets wrapped in newspaper and away in boxes, the only things remaining being small appliances and cookware that she kept beneath the counter. She peered over the bar to see Rick nearly done with her bookshelves. He had even wrapped up pictures and other knick-knacks that she had.

She had bent down to start packing the rest of her kitchen when she heard the soft strains of Sinatra coming out of her stereo. A smile toyed with her face as she stepped out to find Rick leaning against a now bare wall; their wine glasses in his hands.

"I think it's time for a break."

"Who am I to argue with wine and Sinatra?" She stepped into his waiting arms, wrapping her fingers around the stem of her glass.

They stood, pressed together, swaying slowly to the tune of _Strangers in the Night_. Oddly appropriate, Rick thought.

Sure, it took them a while to get to here. Wherever 'here' was. They danced and fought and poked at each other the whole way. But ever since that first case, Rick knew that they would be together, in some capacity. And what they had now, this life, this love, was more than even he could have imagined.

He looked down; saw Kate's head resting like a rock against his shoulder, eyes closed. Carefully, he took the glass from her grip, gave her a little nudge.

"Come on. I say we call it a night and go get some sleep. You're going to need the energy if you're going to go catch a killer tomorrow."

The exhaustion, Kate had to admit, was becoming more and more like a weight on her body.

"I'll take that yawn," he said with a grin, "as agreement."

Rick quickly rinsed their glasses, and pulled out their coats. The two were so tired from the day of running around and packing, that the cab ride to the loft seemed a blur. They dragged through the door and into the bedroom. They changed, another process that seemed to blur past them, and fell, facedown, onto the bed.

* * *

In the morning, they lay, still flat on the bed. The only change in their position since coming in was Rick's arm, which was now draped over Kate's back.

As always, Kate woke before her partner. She had slept a little later than she would've liked, noting from her cell phone that it was now 7:30, but figured she had a little time before she could go to the school.

She deftly slid from Rick's grasp, and padded into the kitchen to start breakfast. Half a batch of waffles was done and cooling on a plate when Martha walked in. Kate would have been too busy slicing strawberries to notice, had it not been for the distinctive click of the woman's heels.

"Kate, darling! So lovely to see you this morning!" Martha tossed a pair of hot pink gloves on the bar, and leaned an elbow on the edge. "Getting ready for work?"

Kate brushed the sliced fruit into a bowl, put down the knife.

"Something like that." She braced her hands on the edge of the counter. "I've got some time so I thought I'd make breakfast."

"Well, it looks delicious." The two woman smiled as Kate passed over the bowl of berries. "Alexis tells me that this is going to be our new normal. Did I understand her correctly, or was she just projecting like Richard does?"

The younger woman sighed, stepped around the counter to sit on a stool. "No," she said flatly, "she's right." She smiled a little, "Rick asked me to move in…and I said 'yes'."

Martha's arm came out of nowhere and pulled her into a hug. "That's fabulous, dear! I'm so happy that you two are happy."

"Thanks." Kate fiddled with the drawstring on her pants.

"Why do I suspect that there's something going on inside that pretty little head of yours?"

Who was she kidding? There was no lying when it came to Martha. She could see right through every façade Kate tried to put up. Maybe it was all those years of acting? She let out a frustrated laugh.

"Because I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous as hell."

Martha gave her a sympathetic frown as she climbed up on the stool beside her. "My dear," she put her polish, ringed hand over Kate's, "what's love without nerves?"

There was that comfort in her touch that Kate had missed for so long. "Thank you, Martha. I guess, it's just been a long time since I've felt like a part of a real family."

"Honey," she sang, "you're fooling yourself. You've always had a real family."

"It just…hasn't felt that way, you know, normal, since my mom's been gone."

"If there's anything I've learned in my life, it's that there is no such thing as a normal family. Who says a family has to always have two parents or two point five children? You had two parents, you still do. Just because you can't see your mom, doesn't mean she loves you any less."

Kate wiped a tear from her cheek with the heel of her hand.

"And look at the three of us here. It's always just been the three of us, and you should know, it's anything but normal in this house. But we've turned out just fine, haven't we? And now we get to share our insanity with someone else." Reaching across, she gave Kate's now dry cheek a loving pat. "Lucky you."

The two shared a laugh, finding comfort in their newfound mother-daughter-esque relationship. It was something new for both of them, and something that they both needed, were grateful for.

"I guess I should finish up here so that I can actually go get dressed."

"Big interrogation today?" Martha slid off the stool to gather up her belongings again.

"Hopefully." Kate nodded her head as she cleaned up. "My gut says this is the guy, but there's always that little bit of wiggle room where I could be wrong."

"If I know you, Kate," she lay a hand on her shoulder, "and after all this time, I believe I do, you are hardly ever wrong."

Martha didn't give her a chance to reply, sauntering up the stairs, humming a show tune. If she was hearing correctly, it sounded distinctly like _Love Is Here To Stay_, via _An American In Paris_.

Kate couldn't help but to laugh at the stunning lack of subtlety. She wiped her hands on a towel, and sat again. The smell of her cooking would reach Rick's nose soon enough, and then he'd be out to join her before they had to venture back out into the world of cops and killers.

* * *

_Yay! New chapter! I loved writing this. It was fun to imagine Kate having such a mish-mosh of stuff. I personally think that she would actually have such varied tastes, so I threw in a bit of everything. Kind of made up of what my movie and music collections are made of actually. But that's neither here nor there. _

_So! You know the deal! Please drop me a review! It's looking like there's only gonna be two or three more chapters in this fic! Hope you're still here and reading!_

_Tappin  
__=)_


	12. Chapter 12

By the time that Rick had gotten out of bed, eaten, and they had both gotten dressed, Kate had her game plan worked out. They were going to Dempsey at the school. If she brought him into the precinct for an interview he'd get jumpy. Suspicious.

That couldn't happen.

The air was biting when they stepped out of the car in the parking lot of PS 199. There were only a handful of children around; most of them were older, sitting against benches and walls with books or some hand-held electronic device.

"Castle," she gave stopped him with a hand to his chest in the middle of the lot, "when we get in there, I don't want you to say anything. Just let me handle him."

"Well, Detective, I'm not sure how I feel about you handling other men, but I think in this situation I can make an exception." He cocked his head, giving her a sly smile.

Beckett shot him an irritated stare before spinning on one spiked heel and strutting into the school. There was a tired-looking, straw-haired woman seated at a reception desk. Her wrinkled hands were slowly shuffling papers from one side of the desk to the other. To Castle, there didn't appear to be a purpose in doing this.

"Excuse me," Beckett placed her badge on the edge of the desk, perched in her fingers, "I'm looking for Ronald Dempsey. Has he come in yet this morning?"

The woman sighed, clearly unsure of why the police were in the office. She peered over the ledge of the desk where Beckett was leaning, slid a clipboard down to her eye level. "Yes, Ron signed in about twenty minutes ago. He's probably in his room by now. Just head out that door, hang a right, then make a left at the first hallway you pass, and his room's all the way down to the left."

The detective took a mental note of the instructions and nodded her appreciation. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Officer."

Instinct had her making the correction to 'Detective'.

"I apologize. Detective. Look," the woman put down her pen and stared Kate right in the eye. "My husband made Lieutenant in his house. Retired four years ago. Now my son's working the badge. He's in special victims. I get what you have to do, but I care about the kids here. So please, just don't let them see anything."

"Mrs." she had to glance down at the name plate, "Mrs. Farndell, why exactly is it that you think I'm going to have to exercise my authority with Mr. Dempsey?"

"I've known the man for years, and I know how he works with his kids. He's a good teacher, Detective, but outside of school? He can be a little short-fused. But he had gotten help, and had been doing good, until this school year."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. But ever since the first day of school last fall, it's like he's back to his old ways."

"I'll do my best." She gave the woman a smile, motioning to Castle that they were leaving the office.

"It's like a hospital in this place." Castle and Beckett were slowly walking down the hall, careful to keep their voices quiet. "Does it have to be so dark and cold?" He was commenting on the dull grey linoleum flooring, and the stark white walls. The only contrast was the bright artwork hanging on the walls, clearly done by students.

"Well, Rick, it's a public school. What did you expect?" She was busy looking at the rooms they were passing.

"I guess they can't all be stuck up prep schools. Boy, these kids are really missing out on some interesting people."

They both scoffed at his sarcasm.

"Remember, Castle," she started when they were standing outside Dempsey's classroom, "not a word."

"The lips you love so much are sealed, Detective." She rolled her eyes at him when he made a zipping motion across his mouth.

She knocked twice, but didn't hesitate to go ahead and open the door. "Ronald Dempsey?"

When the stood in the doorway she found him taping construction paper apples to cabinet doors above a small sink. He looked over his shoulder as he ripped off a piece of tape.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

The badge came up to where he could see it. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. I have a few questions to ask you." She nodded her head towards a table in the back of the room. "Mind if we sit down for a few?"

For a second she saw something pass in his eyes. "No. No, of course not. Please, let me just put these things away."

They took up seating in blue plastic chairs at a table hosting various piles of student work. Kate watched the man out of the corner of her eyes as he dropped the tape dispenser and extra apples on his desk, just imagining what was going through his head at the moment.

He sighed, sitting down across from them, slowly folding his hands together in his lap. "So, what can I help you with, Detective?"

For a second, she just looked, keeping a straight face without flaw. "Jeanine Michaels?"

Not a flinch. "What about her?"

"Her son is in your class correct?" In this instance, she kept her distance from Castle, not wanting to give him any prompt. Her notes stayed in her bag, her arms resting across her torso, the fingers of her left hand just barely touching her handcuffs.

"Yes. Jacob. He's a good kid. Quiet." He paused, leaning across the table. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused as to what you're asking me here."

"What's your relationship with his mother?" There was no halt in her voice. Only steel questioning.

"She's…she's a parent of one of my kids. Why are you asking me this?"

"Were you aware that she was found murdered three days ago? Someone ambushed her at her practice."

He pulled in a gasp of air. "Yes, I had- I had heard that. It's awful."

"Are you sure that's all you have to say Mr. Dempsey? That it's awful? From what I understand you have a bit of a history with our victim."

From where he sat, Rick noticed the tightening of the man's hands against his pants. They were flexing and releasing at a steady pace now.

"I-why do you care about my past with her? She was just a parent. I taught her son."

"Are you sure that's all she was? Just a parent? Are you sure you didn't have any lingering feelings for her? Or for Jake?"

"Sure, I…I still care about them. Why shouldn't I?"

"Mr. Dempsey, your relationship with Mrs. Michaels ended over five years ago. That's an awfully long time to care."

Dempsey's voice hitched in his throat. "Well, Jeanine and I went to high school together. She's always been a friend to me, what's wrong with me caring about what happens to her?"

"Was she ever more than just a friend to you?"

His foot was tapping against the linoleum. "Maybe…maybe at one point."

"Now, are you talking about way back in high school? Or a little more recently? Say, about six years ago?"

"Just what are you saying, Detective?" The man's tone became angered, louder.

Beckett rose from her seat, gaining the edge, to lean against a desk. "I think there's more to your relationship than you're admitting." She cut off, expecting his retort, but nothing came. "Here's what I think, Mr. Dempsey. Six years ago Jeanine and her husband separated for a period. Say, for the hell of it, two weeks. During that time, Jeanine just happened to run into you, and you just happened to pick up where she left you in high school. You slept with her; you had a good time…for a week. And then her husband came back and she went running into his arms." Here, she crossed the small open space, to lean over the table. "Leaving you alone. Again."

"You don't know what you're talking about-"

"But now here you are, teaching quietly in a normal public school, and who shows up in your class, but five year old Jacob Michaels, and you just can't help but question who that little boy belongs to."

"She wouldn't tell me, okay!" He sprang up, the force pushing the chair back a few feet. "I asked her about it, okay, I asked her!" There was anger seething through his voice. His neck was pulsating with the flow of blood through his veins.

"Asked her what, Mr. Dempsey?" Her own voice was calm in comparison to his. The detective in her just waiting for him to show his cards.

"I," he sighed, "I asked Jeanine about Jake. About who his father was. I just couldn't help but ask myself, every day when he walked through that door, if maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that he was my son." He furiously backed away from the table, running his hands through his hair as he paced back and forth.

"I'm not stupid. I did the math, and I figured it out. It's possible. It'd damn possible."

Beckett began to eye him suspiciously. Something told her that this man wasn't completely aware that his voice was steadily getting louder and more intense.

"But she just wouldn't tell me. The bitch just wouldn't even acknowledge me! It's like she was completely cut off from me if we weren't in school. She just totally ignored my calls, my emails! What right did she have? I could be his father!"

"And you just had to have the answers, didn't you, Mr. Dempsey? What happened that night? What happened in her office?" She had rounded the table so that she was standing in front of him.

"She wasn't telling me shit. So I…I followed her. She was alone. I was just going to talk to her. Just ask her again, to just be honest with me."

"But you didn't."

"It was just sitting on the table in the back. Just, shiny and sharp. And I had to do something! I couldn't take 'no' for an answer anymore!"

"So when she came through the doors, you attacked her."

"I just wanted to know the truth. We fought, and there was…so, so much blood. More than I've ever imagined." He slumped down, back against the wall. "She just should've told me if Jake is my son. She had no right to lie to me!"

With one steady hand, Beckett lifted him to his feet. She pulled his hands stiffly behind him, ignoring the mild protest he was giving. "But she wasn't lying to you, Mr. Dempsey. Jeanine didn't have to tell you anything. We ran a test last night. Jake is not your son. He's Evan Michaels'."

The cuffs clicked together in sync with Ronald Dempsey's skip in breathing.

"Ronald Dempsey, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

Over his shoulder, she caught Castle's solemn look. She'd have to make him feel better later…somehow.

Upon Dempsey's reply she began to lead him out of the hallway. She turned to exit out the side hallway, wanting to avoid as many children as possible. On a dime, she turned to Castle.

"Would you mind letting Mrs. Farndell know this class needs to be covered?"

"Not at all." He managed a thin smile. "I'll meet you outside, Detective."

The killer was booked, the paperwork was done, and the team had been sent home to get a jumpstart on their weekends.

The ride home had been quiet. Almost, eerily quiet. Kate had never seen Rick this quiet. It was worrying her. She was hoping she'd be able to cheer him up before their poker party that night.

When they walked through the door, Alexis was sitting, curled up in the arm of the couch with a book. Her headphones were in her ears, keeping her from hearing her father come up behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, making her jump.

"Dad!"

"Hey," he whined, "can't a dad just miss his daughter?"

"Well, sure, but don't scare me like that! You know how I get when I read."

"Ah, yes. The incurable literary focus. A trait I can be very proud of." He came around to sit besides her, pulling her up under his arm.

"Then you should know better than to break my concentration."

He didn't reply, but rather pressed a kiss to her head. She may be getting older, but she'd always be his little girl.

"Hey, you okay dad?"

"Yea. I'm…I'm fine sweetie." He turned and looked down so that he could truly face her. "You know I love you right?"

"Always dad," she put a loving hand on his arm, "I love you too."

"And you know, that even though I don't _love_ your mom, I still love your mom, right?"

Alexis' face scrunched up slightly confused, but still understanding. "Of course." She leaned in to hug his middle. "Dad, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, honey. I'm good." Rick rose from the couch, stepping through his office to the bedroom. He needed a shower. He needed to feel clean again. A part of him couldn't help but feel for Dempsey, wanting to know if he had a child. But at the same time, he despised the man for hurting that scared little boy. He took away a child's mother. And there was no forgiving that.

Mechanically he went through the motions. He put away his jacket, his shoes, and prepped for a refreshing, steaming shower. Not quiet 'Kate Beckett' steaming, but hot enough to make him forget.

Back in the living room, Kate had taken up his place on the couch.

"Kate, what's going on?" The girl's voice was tiny, and slightly scared for her father.

Kate rolled a bottle of water back and forth in her hands. "He's just taking the case really hard. I think it's just made him realize how much he loves you and your grandmother, even your mom."

"What happened? If, you know, it's okay for me to ask that."

"It's fine, Alexis." She couldn't help but laugh a little at Alexis' nerves. "A woman was killed because there was a chance her son had a different father, not her husband."

"Did her husband do it?"

Kate turned her head, thoughtfully. "Nope. It was the boy's teacher. He had had an affair with this woman, coincidentally around the right time. The boy turned up in his class, and had him questioning things, and when our victim wouldn't tell him anything, he got…angry."

"Oh, Kate! That's terrible!"

"Yea. To me, all murders are terrible. This one just hit a little close to home for your dad. A combination of not knowing who his father is, and a woman being killed for trying to keep her child safe."

Neither quite knew how to continue the conversation. They sat in silence for a few minutes. That is…until Kate noticed what Alexis was reading.

"Alexis? Where'd you get that book?"

"Oh, um.." a flush crept up her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind, but the box was just sitting out in front of the shelves, and I figured if no one was reading it right now, it wouldn't be missed, and it just looked so interesting."

She was holding a copy of _Zorba The Greek_.

Quickly Kate put her hand on top of Alexis'. "Hey, it's perfectly fine. I'm glad you found it. It's a really great book. One of my favorites."

"Yeah, I mean, I obviously just started it, but it's really intriguing so far."

"I hope you enjoy it. And don't worry about it. My books are perfectly free for your reading pleasure. Don't feel like you need to ask me. If I didn't want you to have access to them I wouldn't have moved them in here."

The two laughed quietly. "Hey Kate?"

"Hmm?"

Alexis looked right into the detective's face. "I'm really glad you're moving in with us. You're good for us."

Without thinking, Kate was across the couch and giving the teen a hug. "I'm really glad too, Alexis. And you know what," she pulled back, hands on Alexis' shoulders, "you're good for me too."

Alexis climbed into her arms again, letting the warm gesture soak in.

"Hey," Kate pulled away to stand, "let me go check on your dad. Everyone's coming over to celebrate with us tonight, and we can't have him moping around."

"Oh, definitely not. Just let me know if I need to break out the water guns to snap him out of it."

Kate was on her way to the bedroom, but turned with a smile, giving Alexis a mock salute. "You know I will!"

When Kate finally made it into the bedroom, all she found was the light on underneath the bathroom door. Pushing the door open, ever so slightly, she saw Rick standing under the spray. This was perfect.

Quietly, she stripped, tip toed across the tile. He didn't even notice her presence until she had opened the shower door and climbed in behind him. Her hands came up, running soothing patterns over his wet back.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey yourself. You want to tell me why you've been so quiet?" She maneuvered them so that she was in front of him. His arms slung around her waist. "I have an idea, but I think you might feel better if you tell me yourself."

Rick pulled her close, treasuring the feel of her against him. "It's just harder sometimes. When you can put yourself in the picture. I mean…I guess it's not a perfect fit, but I can imagine how it feels, being scared that you do, or don't have a child. It took a while for me to get used to the idea of Alexis before she was born, and then when she got her…I was stuck, you know?"

"I do," she murmured against his shoulder.

He didn't hear her, which, in Kate's mind, was probably best for the time being.

"And, even though I've always been angry with Meredith for what she did, I could never hurt her. Not knowing that she's someone's mother, regardless of the fact that she's not here. Alexis loves her, and that matters more than how much I may be upset with her."

Kate looked up, brushing a lock of wet hair from his forehead. "You're right. She matters to your daughter, so she matters to you. You have to remember that Rick. When cases get tough like this, you have to remember that you're better than people like Ronald Dempsey. I know you are."

She kissed him, tenderly; just enough to let him know that she was here for him.

"Thank you. I kind of needed that."

"Yea, I kind of knew that." She grinned, wickedly, before reaching behind herself to turn up the water temperature.

As soon as the change struck him, Rick yelped. "Jesus, Kate! We'll burn in this water!"

"Well, there's nothing keeping you in here. You can get out if you want." She began to lather up a dollop of shampoo in her hands. "But I need to shower. If you'll remember, we're having a party tonight."

Rick ran his hands through her now slick hair. "Then I suppose I could put up with it. After all, we'll save water this way." He captured her lips with his as his hands massaged the back of her scalp. "Time though? I'm not sure we'll save any of that."

"Then we better get to it Writer-Boy."

"Oh, no, dear Kate, you should know by now, it's Writer-Man."

* * *

_So, this is the longest chapter in the story so far. 3,463 words! I'm amazed. I hope you all like it. I was a bit nervous about it, but I'm happy with the way it came out. I'm almost done with this. One more chapter. Hopefully I can get it up this weekend, but don't hold me to it, because we all know I have no control over the craziness of my schedule. But I'm gonna try! Pinky promise!_

_Thanks so much to all you fabulous readers! I'm glad people are enjoying this!_

_Tappin_


	13. Chapter 13

"Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you. You're so obviously happy here, I know you made the right choice."

Kate leaned into her father's side as they stood together on the balcony of the loft. "I do, too."

The poker table and the food was all set up inside, they were just waiting for the boys and their dates. The father and daughter duo decided that they could use the present quiet to have a moment to themselves.

They both knew that once the rest of the group showed up there would be nothing but chaos.

"I expect to be invited over for dinner." He shot her a playful look over his shoulder, patting her arm from where it rested against her torso. "I hear Rick is quite the cook."

Kate looked up, loving how small she felt in her father's hug, "And just who told you that?"

Her father stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner. "A rather perky young redhead who spends almost as much time telling me about her school and activities as she does telling me about how much she enjoys having you in her life."

There was a fluttering in Kate's stomach that she was sure had nothing to do with her hunger.

"Yeah, well, I'm warning you now, sometimes Rick's imagination gets the best of him and he comes up with some pretty disturbing recipes."

"I look forward to witnessing your tasting of such 'disturbing recipes'."

"Oh, no!" She argued, "If you're going to make a big deal about coming over, you'll suffer through like the rest of us."

There was a daunting pause after they got their laughter out of their systems.

"I feel good here, Dad. It's been just me and you for so long, and it finally feels like we have a whole family again."

"You do have quite the interesting little unit here." There was a chuckle in his words. Jim could clearly remember listening to his daughter's tales of the Castles' antics. He knew full well that she had her own place in these stories; she would just never admit it.

"Yeah," she whispered, "we do." Kate stood from the comforting arms of her dad and moved to lean on the concrete railing of the balcony. "And it's insane, and it's loud, and chaotic, and dramatic," she sighed, "and it's…everything I never knew I wanted."

Cautiously, Jim had taken up place just behind his little girl. With one hand he pulled her back to him, dropping a knowing kiss to her head. There were no words now. They didn't need them.

Instead, Kate leaned into the touch of her dad rubbing his hand in circles on her back, a smile on her face.

They stood still, perfectly content to just savor each other's love and company when the sliding door opened behind them.

"Hey," Rick sounded a bit nervous to her, "I didn't want to interrupt, but Ryan and Jenny just got here." He was leaning ever so slightly on the doorframe, just barely poking his head into their moment.

Kate gave him just the faintest hint of a smile. Just enough to show him her thanks. "Okay, we'll be there in a minute."

That adorable grin that made her heart stop brushed across his face. "Kay. I'm just gonna…go…in now."

Shaking his head, Jim laughed. "See Katie, this is why you belong here. Because he makes you do that." He motioned to her with the hand holding a glass of soda.

She playfully slapped his arm. "Do what?"

"He makes you stop dead in your tracks. I'm not blind honey. I can see that when you look at him, all you see is him. And don't be mistaken, you do it to him too. I'd bet that the two of you could be in a room full of people and you wouldn't notice any of them."

He was still laughing when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pushing her back towards the warm apartment. "And don't even think about denying it or being embarrassed." He smirked at her annoyed, questioning look, and whispered in her ear. "Once upon a time I knew exactly how you feel."

When they made it back to the living room Kate still had her arm around her dad's waist, and his was still around her shoulders. Rick was standing and talking with Ryan.

"Hey, Ryan. Where's Jenny?" She dropped her grip on her dad to say hello to her partner

He laughed as he spoke. "Alexis stole her to ask about wedding plans. Not exactly sure why."

Kate moved to take her and her dad's glasses back to the kitchen. "It's a girl thing, Ryan, that's all there is to it."

As Kate meandered off to the kitchen, and to find the girls, she heard the men behind her.

"Yes, Detective, Katie told me you got engaged. My congratulations."

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, it's Jim. You've worked with my daughter long enough, I'm pretty sure I'm comfortable with you using my first name."

Ryan let out a laugh. "You got it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go grab a drink."

"Rick," Jim put his hand firmly on the writer's shoulder, "I just had to thank you." He continued when he caught Rick's off look. "You're a good man, and you've done very good things for us."

"Well Jim, I think I should be thanking you. I'd never be standing here if not for you. Kate really looks up to you, and…I know about everything that's in the past, and if you ask me, it only made both of you stronger people. I'm very grateful that I get to have both of you here."

Rick moved as to take their presence elsewhere, "And, thank you for coming tonight. It means a lot. To both of us."

"Like I told Katie, Rick, I expect to be invited to dinner."

"Anytime. Now where has everyone gotten to?"

"I imagine your daughter has them all discussing wedding matters. I must ask, where is your mother this evening?"

"Upstairs," he said with a dramatic sigh. "She had a rehearsal earlier that apparently didn't go well."

"I see." Jim followed Rick through the kitchen to where voices could be heard in the dining room.

"Trust me, as soon as it gets going down here, she'll be joining us. She can't resist a party." There was a sarcastic yet playful and loving twitch to Rick's eyes as he moved through the kitchen, grabbing fresh glasses for the two of them. As soon as they laid eyes on the dining room they both stopped short.

The picture at the table was priceless in Rick's eyes. Alexis was sitting beside Jenny, who was recounting all the wedding plans for her. Everything from the cake to the flowers, even down to the color of the table clothes she had finally settled on. Kate was leaning on Alexis's chair, just having fun listening to the two affirm that cream was definitely better than white because it added warmth to the room in dim lighting.

Ryan was leaning against the opposing wall, a glass in his hand, and a silly grin on his face as he watched his fiancé.

Having no qualms about bursting in, Rick barged right into the middle of the conversation.

"And what are all you lovely ladies talking about?"

Alexis rolled her eyes at him, sighing, "Jenny's telling me about the flower arrangements for the wedding, Dad."

"Ah, all those decisions. I'm very happy I don't have to deal with any of that yet."

Kate froze beside him. A fact that did not go unnoticed. She wanted desperately to ask what he meant, but not in such a crowded setting. Her nerves relaxed again when she felt Rick's warm hand come to rest on the small of her back.

"Have you been driven up a wall yet Ryan?" Rick eyed his friend, teasing his reputation for being whipped.

"Not at all," he replied with a smile, "we're having fun with this. And," he put his arm around Jenny's waist when she came to stand next to him, "Jen's really good with this sort of stuff, so, there's hardly any pressure."

"You guys are lucky. Weddings are rough. The true test of how much people actually love each other."

Kate shushed him with a harsh elbow to his side. "Stop being such a cynic. Weddings are romantic. Two people showing everyone they love how much they matter to each other."

"I am not being a cynic," he retorted, "I'm merely saying that it says something for two people to make it through a wedding and still come out on the other side in love. I happen to love weddings, by the way, and I am in no way worried about our friends."

"Darling, it's probably in your best interest if you stop talking right now." Martha came sweeping into the room, wineglass in hand.

Rick huffed, pushed away from the table. "Fine then. I'll keep my opinions to myself."

"Hah!" All the self-control in the world couldn't help Kate hold in her laugh. "It'll snow in Florida before there's a day when you keep your opinions to yourself."

"She's right Castle. I bet you couldn't go a day at the precinct without adding your own theory to our investigations."

"You want to put your money where your mouth is Ryan? Besides," he turned to Kate, "aren't I supposed to be building theory with you?"

"I thought you were just shadowing me for your books?"

The banter was flying across the room between the three. Kate and Ryan were slowly trying to gain the upper hand on the writer.

"Oh, but I distinctly remember you saying I could be helpful, Detective."

Giggle erupted from the spectators in the room. This was probably the first instance in which they all got to see the how the working relationship went between Rick and the detectives.

Alexis had seen similar conversations before, but this was a whole new level, watching Ryan join in. She was trying her best from her seat to keep some semblance of composure. Jenny wasn't faring much better standing behind her fiancé. Martha and Jim however, were leaning close together, chuckling over their childrens' playful bickering.

"Hey," Alexis interrupted, changing the subject "any idea where Lanie and Detective Esposito are?"

A look was shared between Ryan, Rick and Kate. They all had their suspicions on the pair, and tonight they were going to find out for sure.

"Wherever they are," Kate started, "I'm sure they're together, and they'll deny it as soon as they get here."

"Well, then, we'll just have to catch them with their guard down."

"What are you going to do, Castle? Camp out by the door and wait for them to show up?" Ryan folded his arms across his chest, grinning.

Rick's face broke out into a sleek, sneaky smile. "Exactly."

Before anyone could stop him, he was gone, running in socked feet to the front door. Ryan and Kate ran after him, leaving everyone else in the dining room to wonder. When they got to him, Rick was leaning carefully against the door, his eye pressed up to the peephole.

"Rick, what are you doing?" Kate yanked him back by his t-shirt.

"I want to see what happens when they get here."

Ryan spoke from his place next to Kate. "And how do you know they'll even get here together? You psychic?"

Rick flashed the two a 'duh' look. "Um, no, but just call in writer's intuition. And, knowing how determined the two of them can be, they're going to want to spend every last second together before walking in here. I thought maybe we'd be able to catch them."

The two detectives looked to each other, both with their hands on their hips, debating this plan of his.

"Screw it," Ryan sighed, "I'm too mad at him for not telling me. I'm in."

"Kate?" Rick looked to her with a pained, hopeful and begging look. The look somehow doubled to Ryan's face, as well.

"Beckett?"

"Done. Lanie should know better than to keep things from me. Here's the plan, we open the door right as they're walking up. They definitely won't be expecting that."

"Great minds think alike. That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Yeah, but you have to keep your mouth shut, Castle, or you'll blow our cover."

He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again when whispers could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Well," Kate and Ryan both nudged Rick's arms as she whispered, "What are you waiting for?" She nodded towards the door, "Check!"

Behind them, four figures were leaning out from the kitchen, eager to see the results of this endeavor.

Rick nodded to his cohorts, leaning up to the peephole. And sure enough…he had a view of Lanie and Esposito standing together, hands clasped, whispering to each other.

"Here," he passed the position to Kate, who then passed it to Ryan. "Ready?"

They looked to each other one final time, stacked themselves up at the door.

"I swear," Martha exclaimed from the kitchen, "you're all children."

Rick waved his hand at her, "And proud of it, Mother. Now let us have our fun."

Kate maneuvered herself between the two men, gripping the knob. Ever so carefully she turned it to the left, feeling the tumblers shift behind the wood.

In a split second, the door flew open. The jaws of the three inside the apartment instantly hit the floor, when they caught their friends fused together at the mouth. Esposito had his arms wrapped around Lanie's back, hugging her close, while Lanie was hanging by his neck.

It took a second before it hit the pair that they were being watched, but as soon as they realized it, they jumped apart. The color already rising in each of their faces, as they nervously tried to wipe the evidence from their lips.

Rick decided to start slowly. "What're you guys doing out here?" He was leaning on the now open door with Kate tucked in front of him. Ryan had slipped out into the hall somehow, and was eyeing his partner as he would a suspect.

"Oh," Esposito's voice shook, "she just had a…a thing on…"

"On my cheek!" Lanie cut in. "My hair was stuck to my cheek."

"And, you were what?" Ryan posed. "Brushing it away with your lips?"

The couple could hardly muster a reply. Instead, they stood, stuttering nonsense syllables.

"Honestly Lanie, you've spent way too much time with detectives to not come up with a decent cover story."

"Though," Rick continued, "making out in front of our door probably wasn't your best idea."

"Yeah bro, you could have just come inside for that, instead of standing out in the hall like nervous teenagers."

Esposito looked at Ryan, eyes swimming with confusion. "Wha-?"

"Oh don't give us that." Kate shook her head at her friends, letting them come inside. "We're not idiots. And we do kind of do this sort of thing for a living. Well," she paused, looking at Rick, "some of actually get paid for it." She moved on, ignoring his insulted comment. "It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"What, with the sudden lunch breaks," Ryan started.

"The extra lab tests," Rick nodded.

"The overabundance of daydreaming done by the both of you."

"Damn girl!" Lanie had finally found her voice, and was fumbling with her dress and purse. "Why didn't you just ask me?"

"Well, I shouldn't have to! You're my best friend Lanie! Why didn't you just tell me?"

"And really, man?" Ryan and Rick had positioned themselves opposite Esposito. "You couldn't tell your own partner?"

"Lanie," Kate sighed, "I've always been honest with you about things." She paused when Lanie gave her one of her patented death stares. "Ok, fine. I've always been as honest as I've been with myself. There? Is that better?"

"Honey, we just didn't want everyone to know yet."

"Exactly," Esposito stepped over to put his arm around her shoulders. "We were going to tell you guys soon. We just wanted to keep it between us for now, to feel out what exactly we were doing."

Rick took up his favorite place beside his girlfriend. And goodness, did he love hearing that thought in his head. Kate was his girlfriend. _His_. No one else's. He thought, he knew exactly how Esposito felt.

"I know what you mean. You want to make sure you really fit together. Don't want anything to scare anyone away," he gently hugged Kate's arm, "you want to enjoy the romance of the secrecy for a while."

All eyes stared at him. "Yeah," Esposito nodded, "and," he motioned to Kate and Ryan, "you guys know how hard it is for us to find people who don't think we're creepy."

"And do you know how many guys make up some lame excuse the second they find out I deal with dead bodies all day? It tends to be a mood killer."

Kate rested a caring hand on her friend's arm. "Then you two, of all people should know, that we'd be here for you."

"I know," Lanie broke away from Esposito's grasp, "I know," she pulled Kate into a hug. "And I'm sorry. I should've told you as soon as I was sure of myself. I guess I should take my own advice, huh?"

The two were laughing when they separated. "Yeah," Kate laughed, "you definitely should."

The two women walked off to the kitchen, chattering about everything and nothing. Jenny and Alexis met them, both wanting in on the details.

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you guys." Esposito shrugged out of his leather jacket, draping it on a hook near the door. "But we really weren't sure how you'd all react, and we just…we just wanted to keep it between us."

"Really," Ryan gave him a brotherly pat on the shoulder, "we would've been happy for you two. We are now."

"Mhmm," Rick began to walk with the two back towards the party. "You and Lanie are good together. We can see that already."

"Really?" A silly, love-struck grin spread across the detective's face.

"Yup! You're both pretty tough. I must say, I admire the dedication. I'd be too scared that I'd piss her off and she'd find a way to kill me."

In a blink the smile dropped. "That's not funny dude." He walked right past them both, "that is so not funny."

Rick and Ryan broke out into laughter as they walked in to join their friends and family.

Kate watched as the evening moved on into night, and the laughter continued to echo off the walls of the loft. Everyone enjoyed themselves, clearly, and made no effort to hold back in teasing one another. It was how they operated. If it were any other way, Kate thought, they wouldn't be _them_.

Her father had left hours ago, reminding her that he loved her and was happy for her. Martha had long retired to her room, claiming that she needed her beauty sleep, as well as Alexis, who had made plans with a friend for the following morning.

Three couples were left sitting around the poker table. They had given up on their game, and were now simply relaxing in good company.

"So Beckett," Esposito was leaning back in a chair, arm slung around Lanie, "you're really moving in with Castle?"

"Yes, Esposito," she sighed with a smile, "I really am." Underneath the table, Rick's hand slipped overtop her knee, giving it a supportive squeeze. "You have anything to add to that question?" Her eyes were challenging, just daring him to five her a hard time.

"No," his head shook, "I just wanted to make sure I'm not dreaming it. We never, _never_ thought this would ever happen. Let alone the fact that you guys have been dating for months."

"Yeah Beckett," Ryan teased, "I always thought you'd kill him before kissing him."

From her place in the chair next to his, Jenny gave Ryan a little shove. "What?"

"You guys are terrible!"

"Trust me Jenny," Kate smiled, "this is mild. Besides," she popped an M&M into her mouth, "I'd do the same thing to them."

"Just get used to it now girl," Lanie leaned over Ryan to speak to Jenny. "These three don't know when to stop. They've got a pseudo-sibling rivalry thing going on."

"Oh, because you're the epitome of maturity?" Castle spoke up.

"Eh," Lanie reached for her glass of wine, "takes one to know one Castle."

"Damn right! I think it's a pretty safe bet that Jenny's probably the most mature one at this table right now."

Jenny let out an amused huff. "In this company? I'm not sure I'll last." She faked a dramatic fainting motion, garnering laughter all around.

"Did you guys set a date for the wedding?" Kate asked.

Ryan looked to Jenny, pure happiness evident in his eyes. "We're looking at June. Probably the eighteenth. We usually get pretty slammed with cases in the summer, so we wanted to make sure we got a chance to enjoy the time with friends and each other before that happens."

They all nodded, feeling the exhaustion of the day setting in.

"You know what?" Lanie began to shift in her chair, noticing the tired look in her friend and host's face. "We should probably be heading out. It's getting late, and I'm sure we all want to enjoy the weekend off."

Esposito nodded, standing to help her up and into her coat.

"What?" Rick seemed shocked. "Weekend off?" They were all standing to move to the door when he raised his concerned tone and question.

"Yeah," Kate took hold of his arm, pulling him over with her, "the case is closed, so the captain let us have the weekend off. Rather nice of him don't you think?"

"Definitely," he said with a smile. He leaned down to meet her in a tender kiss.

"God," Esposito cringed, "at least wait till we're out the door." Lanie was giggling, pulling on her coat.

Ryan had his hands on Jenny's shoulders, backing away from the two. "Yeah, it's like seeing your parents together."

"Oh, shut up you two. Get out of here and enjoy your weekend."

"Hey!" Rick perked up again, "Maybe it'll snow! It's been looking threatening for days."

Their guests just laughed, sharing goodnight hugs and handshakes before taking their leave.

"Come on Rick," Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his, "the kids are gone. Why don't you remind me why I love you so much."

Rick shocked her, but lifting her up into his arms. He loved hearing the laugh flow from her lips as he carried her towards their bedroom.

"With pleasure, Detective."

* * *

_Woo hoo! I finished! This chapter is officially the longest yet! Wow! The story comes out altogether to be about 78 pages in Word and 31,008 words. I'm like...floored by that. I must admit, this chapter took me forever because I had a really hard time finding exactly how I wanted to work it. I'm still not sure that I'm completely satisfied with it, and that's probably because I haven't had time to focus on it. I really hope you all like it!_

_So, a few chapters ago I alluded to Valentine's Day? Now, personally, I'm not a huge Valentine's Day fan, but I may take a crack at writing a companion piece for this fic about it. If you guys want it. So, please let me know. And if you have any ideas about it, I'd love to hear them, and see if I can use any of them. _

_I probably won't be writing anything majorly substantial for a while. Probably mostly one shots and little short stories. Blame it on college. But anything you guys want to read, I'd love to hear and possibly try putting them into stories._

_HO-LY author's note! Didn't mean to ramble on so much like that! Lemme close it up here. Thank you so much to everyone who's been following this story and supporting me. You guys are great! Please let me know what you think about the ending, and other such things I mentioned._

_**Tappin**_

_BTW - Can you believe this is my 20th fic? I can't. I checked my publishing dates...and it's been almost a year since I started writing. SHOCKING! _


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